Three US citizens of Cameroonian origin have been sentenced to federal prison in the United States over a years-long operation that prosecutors say channelled money, equipment and logistical support from the diaspora to armed separatist fighters in Cameroon, including funding for improvised explosive devices, weapons and kidnapping operations.
Francis Chenyi Sr., 52, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Lah Nestor Langmi, 49, of Buffalo, New York, were each sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Claude Ngenevu Chi, 43, of Kansas City, Missouri, received 63 months — five years and three months — in prison, also followed by three years of supervised release. The US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced the sentences on Wednesday, August 26.
The sentencing brings to a close a major US federal prosecution that began publicly in November 2022 but concerned activities dating back to at least January 2018, at the height of Cameroon’s armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions.
Court records reviewed by MMI News provide considerably more detail than the sentencing announcement, showing how prosecutors said the three men occupied senior positions in diaspora structures supporting the Ambazonian Restoration Forces, ARF, and other armed separatist fighters, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars abroad and discussed specific operations inside Cameroon.
More than $350,000 raised
A federal grand jury indictment unsealed in November 2022 said the defendants raised more than $350,000, primarily from donors in the United States and Europe, to support armed separatist operations in and around Ngoketunjia Division in the North West Region.
Prosecutors said funds were collected through online messaging applications and payment platforms and moved through bank, financial and cryptocurrency accounts before reaching fighters in Cameroon.
The indictment identified Chenyi as the “County Chair” for Ngoketunjia, while Langmi was described as chairman of the Ngoketunjia Security Council, defence spokesman for the Ambazonia National Security Council and chairman of the Balikumbat Local Government Area Security Council.
Chi was identified as treasurer of the Ngoketunjia Security Council and chairman of the Ndop Local Government Area Security Council.
According to prosecutors, the defendants’ own “2020 End of Year Statement NgoketunjiaCounty” recorded $88,455 raised during 2020 alone. The financial records reportedly contained at least 10 entries relating to improvised explosive devices and another 10 concerning firearms or ammunition.
Money allegedly sent for attacks in Ndop
The indictment provides details of several operations prosecutors linked to the network.
On June 2, 2020, Chi allegedly asked Chenyi for money for an operation involving an armed separatist identified in court records as “Captain Fire,” later known as “General Fire.”
The intended targets listed in the request included the MINEPAT office in Ndop, the Ndop Community Hall, Royal Garden, the Special Branch Police Station, the Legal Department, old and new grandstands and the new Divisional Officer’s office.
The estimated cost was FCFA 574,000. The organisation’s records subsequently contained an expenditure of FCFA 575,000 labelled “NDOP LGA Mission Logistics,” according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said that later that month, Captain Fire sent Chi photographs showing buildings in the early stages of burning and identified one of them as the new DO’s office.
In another transaction, prosecutors said Langmi sought FCFA 3 million in July 2020 to purchase two firearms, with the group’s records later showing a corresponding FCFA 3 million payment.
IEDs ahead of Cameroon regional elections
One of the most significant parts of the prosecution concerned the financing of improvised explosive devices.
The indictment says that on December 2, 2020, Chenyi sent Chi a list of materials needed to build IEDs. The list included gunpowder, batteries, remote controls, starters, cutting blades, pepper and zinc, with an estimated cost of FCFA 306,000.
Chenyi allegedly asked whether they could sponsor the materials ahead of Cameroon’s December 6, 2020 regional elections.
The following day, prosecutors say a transfer of FCFA 310,000 was made. That transaction formed the basis of a separate material-support charge against Chenyi and Chi.
The court documents also describe the creation of a messaging group called the “Bamessing Action Team”, through which participants discussed using IEDs against Cameroonian forces.
In January 2021, prosecutors say Chenyi circulated another list of materials for “5 Explosives” and later sent proof of a FCFA 200,000 advance payment for the project.
Following a reported January 28, 2021 ambush on soldiers around Ndawara, one participant in the group said they needed video footage of an IED attack so they could account to those who had sponsored them. Court documents say Chi responded with words of encouragement to the fighter involved.
The US government also said Langmi provided funds to an unindicted co-conspirator for the development of both IEDs and rocket-propelled grenades, RPGs, and later attempted to coordinate attacks near the Africa Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Cameroon as well as in several North West towns in 2022.
Cardinal Tumi kidnapping linked to case
One of the most prominent incidents mentioned in the prosecution is the November 2020 kidnapping of the late Cardinal Christian Tumi and Fon Sehm Mbinglo II, Paramount Fon of the Nso people.
According to evidence cited by US prosecutors, Langmi sent an audio message on November 5, 2020, saying he had been monitoring the traditional ruler’s movements and calling on fighters to intercept the convoy.
The convoy was subsequently stopped and the Fon kidnapped together with Cardinal Tumi, who was travelling with him.
Prosecutors said that after the abduction, Chenyi provided questions that the captives should be asked and approved money transfers to separatist fighters connected to the operation.
Independent reports from the time confirm that armed separatists seized Cardinal Tumi and Fon Sehm Mbinglo II on November 5. The Cardinal was released the following day, while the Fon remained captive until November 10. Vatican News reported that Cardinal Tumi said no ransom had been paid for his own release.
The US case, however, involved other ransom operations.
The original indictment accused the three men of participating in kidnappings in which relatives abroad — including people in the United States — were pressured to pay for the release of family members held in Cameroon. Prosecutors said the demands were sometimes presented as “fines” for breaking separatist rules or as compulsory contributions to the cause.
One count of the indictment specifically accused the defendants of receiving and concealing $1,500 in ransom money on August 12, 2020.
The Justice Department’s later account of the convictions does not list that ransom-receipt count among the offences for which Chenyi and Langmi were found guilty. It does, however, state that trial evidence showed Chenyi was involved in communications concerning ransom payments made from outside Cameroon.
Plot involving North West governor
Federal prosecutors also alleged that the network discussed targeting senior government officials.
According to the indictment, on March 9, 2021, Langmi circulated a voice message after learning that the Governor of the North West Region was expected to travel through Ngoketunjia.
He allegedly called on fighters to ensure the governor was “picked up” and did not leave the territory. Another alleged conspirator subsequently offered FCFA 2 million to any unit that could deliver the governor.
Two convicted by jury, third pleaded guilty
The three men were arrested in November 2022 after a four-count federal indictment was unsealed in Kansas City.
The case eventually went to trial in December 2025.
Chenyi and Langmi were found guilty by a federal jury on December 8, 2025, after a trial that began on December 1. The jury deliberated for approximately two hours and 24 minutes before returning its verdict before US District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark.
Both men were convicted of conspiracy to provide material support or resources intended for conspiracies to kill, kidnap or maim people abroad and to use weapons of mass destruction outside the United States.
They were also convicted of an international money-laundering conspiracy involving transfers from the United States to Cameroon.
Chenyi was additionally convicted of conspiring to provide material support for the use of a weapon of mass destruction abroad.
Chi did not proceed to the same jury verdict. He pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025, to conspiring to provide material support and resources for the use of a weapon of mass destruction abroad.
Why US prosecutors call the IEDs ‘weapons of mass destruction’
The phrase “weapons of mass destruction” may ordinarily suggest nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, but it has a broader meaning under the US law applied in this case.
Under 18 U.S.C. §2332a, a weapon of mass destruction can include a “destructive device.” The FBI says that category includes explosive or incendiary bombs, rockets and grenades. That is why the IED and RPG allegations in the Cameroon case could fall within the federal WMD provisions; prosecutors were not accusing the men of financing nuclear weapons.
A case that reaches from the diaspora to the battlefield
The prosecution is significant because it demonstrates how US authorities can pursue people inside the United States for financial and logistical support linked to violent operations carried out thousands of kilometres away.
When Chenyi and Langmi were convicted in December, the FBI said the case involved US citizens supporting kidnappings, supplying separatist fighters and helping finance attacks against Cameroon and its personnel. Federal authorities said the verdict should serve as a warning that people operating from the United States can be held criminally responsible for support provided to violent acts abroad.
The investigation was handled by the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office. Assistant US Attorneys Sean T. Foley and Joseph M. Marquez prosecuted the case for the Western District of Missouri with assistance from the US Justice Department’s National Security Division.
The convictions come against the backdrop of an Anglophone conflict that continues to affect Cameroon’s North West and South West Regions. The crisis developed from protests over political, legal and educational grievances before evolving into an armed separatist conflict involving government forces and numerous armed groups.
The humanitarian consequences remain severe. Current humanitarian assessments say about 1.2 million people in the North West and South West require humanitarian assistance, while more than 493,000 people remain internally displaced within the two regions.
For Chenyi and Langmi, the case now ends with 15-year federal prison terms. Chi will spend more than five years in prison.
For Cameroon, however, the court records offer a rare, detailed look at how parts of the armed conflict were allegedly financed and coordinated from abroad — from fundraising in the United States and Europe to money transfers, weapons purchases, IED development and communications with fighters operating on the ground.
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