Co-Conspirator Sentenced for Role in Multi-Million Dollar Money Laundering Conspiracy Case Brought By HSTF

Baltimore, Maryland - A Maryland man received a federal prison term today in connection with his leadership role in a multi-million-dollar money laundering scheme.

Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Yahya Sowe, 42, of College Park, to 114 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to engage in a large, multi-member, money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Judge Maddox ordered Sowe to pay $13,050,827.03 in restitution, and to forfeit $1 million. Sowe, who pled guilty to participating in the money laundering conspiracy on December 15, 2025, admitted that more than $11 million in money laundering occurred pursuant to his management or supervisory role in the conspiracy.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) - Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge George Golliday, Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General (EPA-OIG). This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud along with the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF).

According to court documents, beginning in 2021, and continuing until his arrest in February 2024, Sowe conspired with multiple individuals to launder proceeds of multiple frauds, including business email compromise schemes.

The victims included government agencies, organizations, and companies, including an environmental trust, urban redevelopment program, medical center, transportation and logistics company, school district, college, and county government, among others.

Sowe and his co-conspirators used and controlled several different encrypted electronic communication accounts, which they used in furtherance of the money laundering and to supervise and manage the members of the conspiracy. The co-conspirators worked with each other to create limited liability companies to serve as shell entities; open bank accounts in the name of shell entities; and launder fraud proceeds.

Pursuant to the conspiracy, the co-conspirators often engaged in multiple financial transactions in quick succession, frequently layering wire-fraud proceeds in multiple subsequent transactions. These financial transactions made it more difficult for the victims and law enforcement to recover the fraud proceeds.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland previously charged 14 defendants in connection with the money laundering conspiracy - 13 already pled guilty. Faizou Gnora, 28, previously of Alexandria, Virginia, remains a fugitive from justice.

The District Court previously sentenced:

• Bright Boateng, 45, of Bladensburg, Maryland, to 108 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution of $1,247,950, and a forfeiture of $431,750;
  
• Victor Killen, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution of $7,070,656.46, and a $3 million forfeiture order;
  
• Gedeon Agbeyome, 31, of Montgomery County, Maryland, to 72 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, along with restitution of $2,938,424.65, and a $2.8 million preliminary order of forfeiture;
  
• Lawrence Ogunsanwo, 33, to 40 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and restitution of $5,648,816.23;
  
• Lakeisha Parker, 33, of Baltimore, to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release, and restitution of $8,306,930.95;
  
• Martin Ogisi, 37, of Severn, Maryland, to 33 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and restitution of $11,077,044.17;
  
• Kevin Colon, 34, of Curtis Bay, Maryland, to 27 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and restitution of $2,515,159.63;
  
• Areal Harris, 27, of Hanover, Maryland, to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and restitution of $3,159,482.83;
  
• Lorena Perez Herrera, 29, of Washington, DC, to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and restitution of $1,473,125.58;
  
• Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and restitution of $733,941.48.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ("Fraud Division"). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

This prosecution is also part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore is comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); the United States Marshals Service (USMS); the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (W/B HIDTA); the Maryland State Police (MSP); the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HSI-led Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, and thanked IRS-CI and EPA-OIG for their work in the investigation, and praised the Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, and Montgomery County Police Departments for their assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber, Bijon A. Mostoufi, and Jared M. Beim, who prosecuted the federal case, and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for her assistance.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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