TUCSON, Ariz. – A woman from Maryland has been sentenced to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution to 19 victims for her role in a large-scale money laundering scheme. Flavia Annang, 60, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering on March 9, 2023.
Between May 2018 and April 2022, Annang laundered money for scammers who lured victims into various online frauds. In some instances, the victims believed they were sending money to support an online romantic partner who falsely stated they needed to pay taxes and fees to release an inheritance or gold bars. The stories told to the victims by the scammers were fraudulent. The scammers directed the victims’ monies into accounts controlled by Annang and her co-conspirator. When Annang and her co-conspirator received the fraudulent monies, they kept a fee for themselves, and then transferred the funds to Ghana. Annang and her co-conspirator set up phony businesses and then opened business bank accounts to hide the transfer of the fraudulently obtained funds.
The FBI traced over $4 million, sent by 106 victims, through Annang’s and her co-conspirator’s bank accounts. One Arizona victim lost nearly $5 million to the scams, sending over $1 million to Annang’s and her co-conspirator’s accounts and the remaining money to multiple other individuals. Annang’s co-conspirator pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering and was sentenced to 48 months in prison on January 3, 2024.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
Mandatory Facts:
- Defendant/Respondent: Flavia Annang
- Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
- City and State: Tucson, Arizona
- Date: March 9, 2023 (plea), January 3, 2024 (co-conspirator’s sentence)
- Sentence: 48 months in prison, over $1 million in restitution
- Dollar Amounts: Over $4 million laundered, $5 million lost by one Arizona victim
Related Federal Cases
- Ismaila Abdulraheem, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, Maryland 2023 · New York
- Robert J. Bondonno, Fraud and Money Laundering, Kentucky 2022 · Oklahoma
- Solomon Ekunke Okpe, Wire, Bank, Mail Fraud Conspiracy, Arizona 2017 · Maryland
- Solomon Ekunke Okpe, Conspiracy to Commit Wire, Bank, and Mail Fraud, Arizona 2022 · Maryland
- Cory Jermaine White Jr, Check Scheme, Arizona 2024 · New York
Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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