He's accused of submitting false documents to the government in an attempt to shut down an investigation into earlier charges of bank fraud and money laundering.
Allen Onyema, the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, a Nigerian airline, is facing new charges in a superseding indictment for allegedly obstructing justice.
He's accused of submitting false documents to the government in an attempt to shut down an investigation into earlier charges of bank fraud and money laundering.
Onyema's Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, is also implicated in the obstruction scheme and faces additional charges related to the initial bank fraud counts.
Onyema and Eghagha were initially indicted in 2019 on charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. The alleged scheme involved using false documents to purchase aircraft and laundering over $16 million in proceeds.
The new obstruction charges suggest that Onyema attempted to use false documents again, this time to derail the investigation.
The case is part of a larger effort by law enforcement to combat financial crimes and protect the integrity of the US banking system. The investigation involves multiple agencies, including the DEA, IRS, and Homeland Security.
This was disclosed in a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia on Friday.
“After allegedly using his airline company as a cover to commit fraud on the United States’ banking system, Onyema, along with his co-defendant, allegedly committed additional crimes of fraud in a failed attempt to derail the government’s investigation of his conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The diligence of our federal investigative partners revealed the defendants’ alleged obstruction scheme, making it possible for the defendants to be held accountable for their aggravated conduct of attempting to impede a federal investigation.”
“These cases represent the continued commitment of the Drug Enforcement Administration to identify and hold accountable those who engaged in fraud and money laundering,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
“Allegedly, Onyema and his accomplices fraudulently used the U.S. banking system in an effort to hide the source of their ill-gotten money,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lisa Fontanette, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office. “Today’s superseding indictment is indicative of the dedication IRS-CI special agents and our law enforcement partners have, as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, to neutralize threats to the United States from criminal organizations.”
US Attorney Buchanan revealed that Onyema has been linked to a complex financial scheme. According to the superseding indictment and court records: Onyema, founder of Air Peace (established in 2013), frequently visited Atlanta between 2010 and 2018.
He opened multiple personal and business bank accounts in Atlanta. Over $44.9 million was allegedly transferred into these accounts from international sources.
These allegations suggest suspicious financial activity, potentially related to money laundering and bank fraud charges previously brought against Onyema.
The statement reads, “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 and were supported by documents such as purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals. The documents purported to show that Air Peace was purchasing the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a business registered in Georgia.
“However, the supporting documents were allegedly fake – Springfield Aviation Company LLC was owned by Onyema and managed on his behalf by a person with no connection to the aviation business, and Springfield Aviation never owned the aircraft.
“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.
“In May 2019, upon discovering that he was under investigation in the Northern District of Georgia for bank fraud, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly directed the Springfield Aviation manager to sign a key business contract, but also specifically told her to not date the document.
“In October 2019, Onyema allegedly caused his attorneys to present that same contract, now falsely dated as being signed on May 5, 2016 (prior to the bank fraud that began in 2016), to the government in an effort to stop the investigation and unfreeze his bank accounts.”
It noted that Onyema, 61, of Lagos, Nigeria, and Eghagha, 42, 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.
It said, “Additionally, Onyema was charged with 27 counts of money laundering, and Eghagha was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft.
“On October 8, 2024, they were both charged in a superseding indictment alleging an additional count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The case is criminal action number 1:19-CR-464.”
“Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial,” the statement added.