Oluremi Akinleye, Wire Fraud, NV 2024

Las Vegas, NV — Oluremi Akinleye, 40, of Las Vegas, has been accused of orchestrating a brazen scheme to siphon over $400,000 from church funds. Today, the federal court saw his initial appearance for his alleged role in this conspiracy.

Akinleye is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, possession of 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized access devices, and three counts of aggravated identity theft, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich and FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse.

The indictment against Akinleye was returned by a federal grand jury on August 25, 2020, and unsealed today. He was arrested on August 28, 2020, and faces trial before U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro on November 2, 2020.

Prosecutors claim that from November 2017 to July 2018, Akinleye conspired with others to steal money from the Pension Fund of the Christian Church and the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. The scheme involved obtaining personal information of account holders and using it to impersonate them for fraudulent withdrawals and transfers.

The potential sentences are severe: up to 20 years for conspiracy, 20 years for each wire fraud count, 10 years for possession of counterfeit devices, and at least two years for aggravated identity theft. Akinleye could also face supervised release, restitution, fines, and asset forfeiture.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Simon F. Kung is handling the prosecution of this case, which is a result of an FBI investigation.

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