{
  "id": 15189177,
  "title": "Ex-US Defence official who laundered millions for Nigerian scammers freed",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/ex-us-defence-official-who-laundered-millions-for-nigerian-scammers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T11:16:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/17/ex-us-defence-official-who-laundered-millions-for-nigerian-scammers-freed/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A former US Defence official, Samuel Marcus, who pleaded guilty to aiding Nigerian scammers in laundering millions of dollars, has been released from prison after serving less than nine months. Marcus, 34, was freed following a US federal court decision that he had served an adequate amount of time for the alleged crime. Marcus pleaded guilty to one count of concealing money laundering before US District Judge Joel Slomsky. Arrested in February, he initially faced up to 100 years in prison. Prosecutors claimed Marcus acted as a money mule for online fraudsters based in Nigeria, using aliases like 'Rachel Jude' and 'Ned McMurray'. He is accused of receiving stolen money into his personal and business accounts before transferring it to the Nigerian criminal group. Despite continuing to assist the scammers after being informed by FBI agents, Marcus's lawyer and prosecutors agreed that his existing custody time was sufficient punishment. The court consequently ordered his release, noting his sentence reduction due to intellectual disabilities, including autism. Following his release, Marcus will be under supervised release for three years and will continue mental health treatment.",
  "summary": "A former United States Department of Defence official, Samuel Marcus, who pleaded guilty to helping Nigeria-based fraudsters launder millions of dollars, has been released from prison after serving less than nine months. Marcus, 34, was released after a US federal court credited him for the time he had spent in custody while awaiting trial, ruling […] Ex-US Defence official who laundered millions…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}