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.
