Nigerian citizen sentenced for his role in a multimillion-dollar wire fraud scheme

HOUSTON - A 26-year-old man who was in the United States on a Green Card has been sentenced for laundering fraud proceeds through an unlicensed money transmitting business, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Ayobami Omoniyi pleaded guilty Aug. 19, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now ordered Omoniyi to serve 32 months in federal prison and pay $202,273.80 in restitution. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to be removed from the country following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional information that Omoniyi had been committing crimes since arriving in the United States and that he had been a recruiter for the scheme.

In 2021, Omoniyi and others operated an unlicensed money transmitting business that received and transferred funds from business email compromise victims, including a fishing company in Australia. Victims received spoofed emails that appeared to come from legitimate businesses and were tricked into sending payments to accounts conspirators controlled.

As part of his plea, Omoniyi admitted he moved money through multiple bank accounts. The funds originated from fraudsters involved in a business email compromise wire fraud scheme.

Omoniyi also acknowledged receiving victims' funds and, for a fee, transmitting the fraud proceeds to others.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the hear future.

FBI-Bryan Resident Agency and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation with assistance from the Australian Federal Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek prosecuted the case.