A Kenyan fake gold merchant has been arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in connection with a USD 600,000 fake gold fraud scheme targeting an Australian national.
The accused, Duncan Okaka Okonji, was arrested on March 24, 2026, and presented in court on March 25, 2026, where he was charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to Section 317 of the Penal Code.
He denied the charge and was released on a bond of KSh 5 million or an alternative cash bail of KSh 1 million, with two contact persons.
The case is scheduled for mention on April 7, 2026, at the Milimani Law Courts.
According to investigators, the complaint dates back to October 2025, when the victim, while in Dubai, was introduced to an individual identified as Marshall Morrison, who allegedly posed as an American investor.
Morrison is said to have linked the victim to Okonji, who presented himself as a facilitator of a 590 kg gold consignment transaction.
Investigations further indicate that the complainant was taken to Tanzania, where he was shown purported mining sites, before being brought to Kenya.
The suspects allegedly staged a series of meetings and prepared documentation to convince the victim that arrangements were underway to ship the gold consignment to Dubai.
Believing the transaction to be legitimate, the complainant reportedly transferred USD 600,000 through Conrad Law Advocates LLC before later suspecting fraud and reporting the matter to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has reiterated its commitment to dismantling transnational fraud syndicates, disrupting organised investment scams, and ensuring that proceeds of crime are identified, traced, and recovered in accordance with the law.
