A Milwaukee businessman known online as "The Black Mentor" is headed to federal prison.
A judge sentenced Joseph Nantomah to 48 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to fraud charges tied to what prosecutors described as a multimillion-dollar investment scheme.
Nantomah admitted he took money from investors who believed they were funding real estate deals, then used some of that money for personal expenses and to pay earlier investors.
13 victims addressed the court before sentencing, many were emotional while describing the financial and personal toll the losses have taken on their lives. 39 victims have been identified to date, with losses topping 2.7 million dollars.
United States District Judge Lynn Adelman ultimately ordered Nantomah pay that sum of money back to the victims in restitution, alongside the 4-year prison sentence. The judge included a 3-year probation but added that Nantomah will likely be deported to Nigeria after his prison term.
Nantomah apologized in court, describing what happened as "A mistake that I made, that became a ripple effect."
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin said Nantomah entered the United States on a visitor's visa from Nigeria in 2016 and targeted mostly Nigerian immigrants and members of his church, drawing on their shared cultural heritage to convince them to invest in what he claimed was a real estate business. Prosecutors said he spent the majority of victims' funds on a lavish lifestyle that included private jets, luxury cars, expensive jewelry, and a yacht, and had no legitimate business or knowledge in real estate.
"As Judge Adelman noted, the victims were not wealthy people. They were working class immigrants who were devastated by this betrayal by someone they trusted," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel said.
Nantomah remains in custody. His attorney has not announced whether an appeal will be filed.
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