U.S. Marshals detain a Nigerian-Canadian and four Americans wanted by Germany over a vast financial scam accused of defrauding thousands of victims.
The United States has arrested five individuals, including a Nigerian-Canadian, wanted by German authorities for their alleged roles in a massive financial fraud scheme that siphoned more than €300 million ($347 million), from thousands of victims across Europe.
The arrests, carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service in California, followed an extradition request from Germany. Prosecutors say the suspects were key players in a network that built a shadow financial system by colluding with German payment service processors to disguise fraudulent transactions.
Those taken into custody include four U.S. citizens — Medhat Mourid of Woodland Hills, Andrew Garroni of Los Angeles, Guy Mizrachi of Agoura Hills, and Ardeshir Akhavan of Irvine — alongside Canadian national Tunde Benak, who also resides in Irvine.
According to Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the suspects orchestrated a complex operation involving fictitious companies and fake online storefronts. These entities allegedly charged victims’ debit and credit cards for small, recurring sums — usually under €50 ($59)— to avoid detection and customer complaints.
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The payments were processed through legitimate German financial platforms, whose executives and compliance officers are also under investigation. Prosecutors say the manipulation of these systems enabled the defendants to operate for years without triggering fraud alerts, effectively creating an underground network of untraceable financial flows.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the arrests were made in full cooperation with German law enforcement and other international partners. “Pursuant to its treaty obligations, the United States located and arrested the fugitives in the Central District of California for ultimate extradition to Germany,” the DOJ stated on Wednesday November 5, 2025.
The Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) played a central role in coordinating legal procedures and ensuring Germany met U.S. extradition requirements. The operation was part of a wider international effort that included simultaneous enforcement actions in Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Cyprus, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore.
German prosecutors allege that the fraudulent network’s activities undermined trust in the country’s payment infrastructure and exposed significant weaknesses in digital financial oversight. The arrested suspects are expected to face extradition hearings in U.S. federal court before being transferred to Germany for trial.