Memphis, TN – A Ghanaian citizen named Maxwell Atugba Abayeta, also known as Maxwell Peter, has been extradited to the United States to face trial for a massive cyber fraud scheme that spanned across continents.
Peter, 27, from Tamale, Ghana, stands accused of masterminding a conspiracy involving wire fraud, money laundering, computer fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment, unsealed on August 23, 2017, charges him with orchestrating the intrusion into the servers and email systems of a Memphis-based real estate company in 2016.
According to U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, Peter’s operation, often referred to as business-email compromise (BEC), led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses for companies and individuals. The defendant is specifically accused of directing the transfer of funds from a June 2016 BEC to a co-conspirator in Africa.
In addition to BEC, Peter faces charges for romance scams, fraudulent-check scams, gold-buying scams, advance-fee scams, and credit card scams. Prosecutors allege that the proceeds of these criminal activities were shipped from the U.S. to various locations in Africa through a network of complicit individuals.
Seven other individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with this scheme. Benard E. Okorhi, 41, was extradited from Canada and is awaiting trial. Two others, Olufalojimi Abegunde, 33, and Javier Luis Ramos-Alonso, 30, were convicted after a seven-day trial, with Abegunde receiving a 78-month sentence and Ramos-Alonso a 31-month sentence.
The FBI led the investigation, which highlights the difficulty of tackling internet fraud involving foreign nationals. Despite this challenge, Peter will now face justice in an American courtroom, as he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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