For allegedly submitting false documents to stop a federal investigation, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has been charged in the United States (U.S.).
Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, are also accused with obstruction of justice, bank fraud and money laundering in an ongoing case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced Onyema’s obstruction of justice charges in a statement on Friday, October 11.
“Allen Onyema, the Chairman, CEO, and founder of Air Peace, a Nigerian airline, has been charged in a superseding indictment with obstruction of justice for submitting false documents to the government in an effort to end an investigation of him that resulted in earlier charges of bank fraud and money laundering.
“Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, was also charged for participating in the obstruction scheme, as well as in the earlier bank fraud counts”.
Onyema and Eghagha allegedly used fraudulent export letters of credit to transfer over $20 million into U.S. bank accounts between 2016 and 2018.
The funds were reportedly intended for purchasing five Boeing 737 aircraft for Air Peace, but investigations showed that documents such as purchase agreements and appraisals were falsified.
The company listed as the seller, Springfield Aviation, was owned by Onyema and had no legitimate involvement in aviation.
Furthermore, the statement declared that following the initial bank fraud and money laundering charges, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly attempted to obstruct the investigation by directing an individual managing Springfield Aviation to sign a backdated contract.
Onyema’s attorneys later submitted this contract to U.S. authorities in an effort to halt the investigation and unfreeze his bank accounts, which led to additional charges of obstruction of justice.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan stated that Onyema allegedly used his airline as a front for fraud and later attempted to derail the investigation. He highlighted that federal investigators’ diligence helped expose the obstruction scheme, holding the defendants accountable.
“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”.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan added: “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.”
Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, highlighted that these cases demonstrate the Drug Enforcement Administration’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those involved in fraud and money laundering.
The statement also noted that the case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation, which targets high-level criminal organisations that pose risks to U.S. financial systems.
Onyema and Eghagha remain innocent until proven guilty, with the U.S. government responsible for proving the charges beyond a reasonable doubt as the trial progresses.
In a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia on Friday, November 22, 2019, it was reported that Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, CEO of Air Peace, had been charged with bank fraud and money laundering.
Onyema allegedly transferred over $20 million through U.S. bank accounts using falsified documents related to airplane purchases.
Eghagha was also charged with fraud and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. authorities stated that Onyema used his airline and nonprofit organisations to facilitate the fraudulent scheme, moving over $44.9 million between 2010 and 2018.
The investigation revealed that supporting documents for the transactions were falsified, and Onyema allegedly laundered over $16 million.
