CEO of Nigerian airline indicted for bank fraud and money laundering
ATLANTA – Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, the Chairman, CEO, and founder of Air Peace, a Nigerian airline, has been charged with bank fraud and money laundering for moving more than $20 million from Nigeria through United States bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of airplanes. The international airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, has also been charged with bank fraud and committing aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.

“Onyema allegedly leveraged his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive while using falsified documents to commit fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “We will diligently protect the integrity our banking system from being corrupted by criminals, even when they disguise themselves in a cloak of international business.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the indictment, “Allen Onyema’s status as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He corrupted the U.S. banking system, but his trail of deceit and trickery came to a skidding halt. DEA would like to thank the many law enforcement partners and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office who aided in making this investigation a success.”

“This case is a prime example of why IRS-CI seeks to partner and leverage its expertise in an effort to thwart those seeking to exploit our nation’s financial system,” said Thomas J. Holloman, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office. “With the importance of our banking system to the movement of money around the world, those attempting to use intricate schemes to commit bank fraud through the use of falsified documents and other means should know that the odds are now heavily stacked against them as law enforcement is combining its talents to protect the sanctity and integrity of the nation’s financial system.”

“Onyema setup various innocent sounding multi-million dollar asset purchases which were nothing more than alleged fronts for his scam,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “I’m proud to be part of a team of law enforcement agencies that come together to identify and attack criminals that attempt to profit from the exploitation of our nation’s financial systems.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the indictment, and other information presented in court: Onyema, a Nigerian citizen and businessman, is the founder and Chairman of several organizations that purport to promote peace across Nigeria, including the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, and All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited.

Beginning in 2010, Onyema began travelling frequently to Atlanta, where he opened several personal and business bank accounts. Between 2010 and 2018, over $44.9 million was allegedly transferred into his Atlanta-based accounts from foreign sources.

Onyema is also the CEO and Chairman of Nigerian airline Air Peace, which he founded in 2013. In years following the founding of Air Peace, he traveled to the United States and purchased multiple airplanes for the airline. However, over $3 million of the funds used to purchase the aircraft allegedly came from bank accounts for Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited, and Every Child Limited.

Beginning in approximately May 2016, Onyema, together with Eghagha, allegedly used a series of export letters of credit to cause banks to transfer more than $20 million into Atlanta-based bank accounts controlled by Onyema. The letters of credit were purportedly to fund the purchase of five separate Boeing 737 passenger planes by Air Peace. The letters were supported by documents such as purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals proving that Air Peace was purchasing the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a business registered in Georgia.

However, the supporting documents were fake — Springfield Aviation Company LLC, which is owned by Onyema and managed by a person with no connection to the aviation business, never owned the aircraft, and the company that allegedly drafted the appraisals did not exist. Eghagha allegedly participated in this scheme as well, directing the Springfield Aviation manager to sign and send false documents to banks and even using the manager’s identity to further the fraud. After Onyema received the money in the United States, he allegedly laundered over $16 million of the proceeds of the fraud by transferring it to other accounts.

Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, 56, of Lagos, Nigeria, and Ejiroghene Eghagha, 37, of Lagos, Nigeria, were indicted on November 19, 2019, on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit credit application fraud, and three counts of credit application fraud. Additionally, Onyema was charged with 27 counts of money laundering, and Eghagha was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Commerce, and Department of Treasury are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section and Lead Strike Force Attorney, Irina K. Dutcher, and Christopher J. Huber, Deputy Chief of the Complex Frauds Section, are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Office of International Affairs.

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The specific mission of the Atlanta Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking and money laundering organizations designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets or Regional Priority Organization Targets and their affiliates impacting the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/ceo-nigerian-airline-indicted-bank-fraud-and-money-laundering

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Not these people again o.....

Department of Justice charges

...I can't believe this is happening...

Lolzz.. Abeggiii

I feel bad for the workers.

Nigerian Business men must learn to make these international transfers very transparent as any hanky panky usually get the American feds to start being supicious ... So they have been hiding under the guise of plane purchase to move looted money out of Nigeria .

What is really happening?

wwwihy:
Department of Justice charges

Nigeria's fantastically corrupt politicians and dubious businessmen need to stop embarrassing us around the world.
David Cameron is laughing right now. There is no way we can repair the battered image of Nigeria around the world.

Still charges as at now. He is still innocent until proven otherwise by a competent court of law

hmmmmm!




the more you look. . .

Quit doing business with America una no go hear.

Nigerians. Y. In capital letters Y.

Hmmmmmm from Invictus now this

Too bad for him.

The worst time to do fraud is right now, once your name enters the internet for fraud. All the reputation built over the years is shattered.

For me, that's worse than going to jail.

djdutchbrah:

Nigeria's fantastically corrupt politicians and dubious businessmen need to stop embarrassing us around the world.
David Cameron is laughing right now.

American businessmen and politicians commit far worse than you could ever imagine.

I THINK HE SHOULD TAKE THE NEXT AVAILABLE FLIGHT TO USA. HE SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

MEANWHILE WHEN IS TINUBU AND BURUJI KASHAM GOING TO VISIT THAT LOVELY COUNTRY

Thats what most of them do
Money laundering using fronts

ALPHABASE:
I THINK HE SHOULD TAKE THE NEXT AVAILABLE FLIGHT TO USA. HE SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

MEANWHILE WHEN IS TINUBU AND BURUJI KASHAM GOING TO VISIT THAT LOVELY COUNTRY

Tinubu is free to visit America, he only forefeited $460k narcotics proceeds in 1993 from his account. He was not charged and convicted.
America will likely just seize the $20 million dollars allegedly laundered by Allen Onyeama if he is convicted.

LabDNA:
Too bad for him.

The worst time to do fraud is right now, once your name enters the internet for fraud. All your reputation built over the years is shattered.

For me, that's worse than going to jail.

This is far deeper than you think. Once Air Peace is positioning to be in direct competition with any American interest, Trust dirty to be dug up on you.

It will be a surprise to see a wealthy businessman with no iota of fraud in him so I'm not really shocked.
I'm only mad that this is coming at a time he is being celebrated for his recent good deeds.
Well, crime is crime and he has to take responsibility for his misdeeds good man or not.
I hope and pray he is proved innocent of this crime though.

djdutchbrah:

Tinubu is free to visit America, he only forefeited $460k narcotics proceeds in 1993 from his account. He was not charged and convicted.
America will likely just seize the $20 million dollars allegedly laundered by Allen Onyeama if he is convicted.

By the time they're through with Onyeama, There would be nothing left of Airpeace.

I don't really know what to say for now, let's wait for updates.

Almajiri1:

This is far deeper than you think. Once Air Peace is positioning to be in direct competition with any American interest, Trust dirty to be dug up on you.

What American interest is he in direct competition with? He buys only American planes

djdutchbrah:

Tinubu is free to visit America, he only forefeited $460k narcotics proceeds in 1993 from his account. He was not charged and convicted.
America will likely just seize the money $20 million dollars laundered.

YOU MEAN THAT HE, BOLA AHMED TINUBU USED TO BE A SECOND IN COMMAND TO EL-CHAPO LET US NOW ALL AGREE THAT CRIME IS A RESPECTER OF NO TRIBE OR RELIGION


I REST MY CASE

Na waa.there has to be a mistake somewhere.

It would interest you to know the depth of fraud perpetrated by American oil and gas companies in Nigeria. Why can't our government grow some balls and open their books?

Loooooooool developers have struck again