Perth millionaire Zhenya Tsvetnenko is facing a potential 20-year jail term after being indicted by US prosecutors as part of a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud consumers by charging unsuspecting mobile phone users for unwanted text messages.

An indictment filed in Federal Court in Manhattan on Friday charged Mr Tsvetnenko, Fraser Thompson, an ex-executive at mobile aggregation company Mobile Messenger, as well as Francis Assifuah, who authorities say ran digital content providers.

Zhenya Tsvetnenko (pictured here in 2009) is in hot water with US authorities, charged with defrauding consumers in an automated SMS scam. Credit:Ross Swanborough

The indictments relate to a period from 2011 to 2013.

Mr Tsvetnenko's media advisor, Evelyn Duffy, said the 36 year-old would defend all allegations against him but would not comment further as the matter was before the court.