Four Texas men have been arrested and one remains on the run after a federal indictment charged them with laundering over $3 million stolen through Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud. The scheme siphoned more than $10 million from U.S. and foreign victims, with Bameyi Kelvin Omale, 31, of Houston; Nnamdi Nwosu, 32, of Houston; Chinonso Agbaji, 29, of Houston; Igho Calaba, 25, of Austin; and Chibuzor Stanley Uba, 30, of San Antonio, all facing one count of money laundering conspiracy.
Nwosu, Agbaji, and Calaba were each hit with an additional charge of passport fraud in furtherance of the money laundering conspiracy. Authorities took Omale, Agbaji, Calaba, and Uba into custody yesterday and today. Nnamdi Nwosu remains a fugitive, and federal investigators are urging the public to report any information on his whereabouts to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via their toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.
The indictment details how the defendants operated a sprawling network of fraudulent bank accounts across Texas, including in Austin, using fake foreign passports and stolen identities. These accounts were used to receive wire transfers from victims duped by BEC scams—fraudulent emails that appeared to come from trusted business partners. In some cases, hackers infiltrated corporate email systems and altered legitimate payment instructions, rerouting funds to accounts controlled by the conspirators.
Once the money landed in the phony accounts, the defendants moved fast—pulling out cash, transferring funds, or funneling them through layers of accounts to obscure the trail. Investigators allege the crew laundered more than $3 million before banks and law enforcement began freezing the accounts. Some of the stolen funds, the indictment states, came not only from BEC scams but also from victims of romance fraud, another growing cyber-enabled scam targeting vulnerable individuals.
This case is part of an ongoing crackdown on transnational fraud networks. In December 2018, Nosa Onaghise, 32, of Austin, pleaded guilty to passport fraud tied to the same scheme. In February 2019, Joseph Odibobhahemen, 28, also of Austin, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy. Both remain in federal custody awaiting sentencing. The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with support from the FBI, California Highway Patrol, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Texas and New York.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in federal prison for money laundering conspiracy and up to 10 years for passport fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Galdo and Keith Henneke are prosecuting the case. The DOJ warns that BEC scams continue to plague businesses nationwide, emphasizing the need for vigilance when processing wire transfers.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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