Nigerian man stole over $250,000 from donor, not US president Donald Trump as claimed online
IN SHORT: Facebook posts claiming that US president Donald Trump was defrauded of $250,000 meant for his inauguration are misleading. The victim was his intended donor.
"The FBI is set to arrest a Nigerian fraudster by name Ehiremen Aigbokhan who scammed Donald Trump of 250,000 dollars," reads part of a 5 July 2025 post on Facebook.
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Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on 20 January.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, is a US government agency tasked with fighting crimes such as terrorism, corruption and human trafficking, usually within the borders of the US.
The post goes on to claim: "The FBI has filed a legal complaint to seize property belonging to a Lagos-based fraudster, Ehiremen Aigbokhan, who is accused of stealing over N460 million meant for Donald Trump's 2025 presidential inauguration."
Trump's team raised US$239 million for the festivities surrounding his inauguration from some of the wealthiest individuals and biggest companies in the US.
The same claim was found here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But did a Nigerian man fraudulently take $250,000 from Trump? We checked.
Trump not the victim
An internet search of keywords from the claim led us to several reports by credible media houses and a press release from the US attorney's office, stating that scammers had impersonated Steve Witkoff to steal $250,300 from a donor.
Witkoff was co-chair of the Trump-Vance inaugural committee. JD Vance was Trump's running mate in the presidential election and is now the US deputy president.
A civil forfeiture complaint filed on 2 July in court said the scammer had carried out a business email compromise scheme, duping a donor into sending $250,300 worth of cryptocurrency.
The scheme is a type of financial fraud in which criminals impersonate a trusted figure via email to trick businesses or individuals into sending them money.
The court documents say: "One or more perpetrators impersonated the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, fraudulently stole funds from an intended donor, and then laundered the funds."
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According to the documents, the FBI has been actively pursuing Ehiremen Aigbokhan in Lagos, southwestern Nigeria, after the crime was traced back to him.
Although the FBI has managed to recover some of the money, more than $200,000 is still outstanding.
The claim that Trump has been scammed is misleading. The scammers used his name and pretended to be part of his inaugural committee in order to defraud potential donors.
The same claim was found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
