Wire Fraud Scheme

⏱ 2 min read

Ayobami Omoniyi, a 26-year-old Nigerian citizen living in the US on a Green Card, has been sentenced to 32 months in federal prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar wire fraud scheme. In 2021, Omoniyi and others operated an unlicensed money transmitting business in Houston, Texas, that received and transferred funds from business email compromise victims. The scheme involved spoofing emails to trick victims into sending payments to accounts controlled by conspirators. Omoniyi pleaded guilty on August 19, 2024.

The investigation, conducted by the FBI-Bryan Resident Agency and the Houston Police Department with assistance from the Australian Federal Police, revealed that Omoniyi moved money through multiple bank accounts, transmitting fraud proceeds to others for a fee. The funds originated from fraudsters involved in a business email compromise wire fraud scheme, including a fishing company in Australia.

US District Judge Andrew S. Hanen ordered Omoniyi to pay $202,273.80 in restitution and to be removed from the country following his imprisonment. The court heard that Omoniyi had been committing crimes since arriving in the US and had been a recruiter for the scheme.

Omoniyi has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. The case was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Belinda Beek.