Four men have been charged with conspiring to launder funds from various fraud schemes in Puerto Rico, according to a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury.
The defendants, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, 37, of Richmond, Texas; Ifeoluwa Dudubo, 37, of Austin, Texas; Temitope Omotayo, 40, and Oluwaseun Adelekan, 40, both of Staten Island, New York; and Temitope Suleiman, 37, of Richmond, Texas, allegedly conspired to launder funds from different international organized fraud schemes, including romance, pandemic relief unemployment insurance fraud, and business email compromise scams.
The indictment alleges that in 2020 and 2021, the defendants worked together to profit from efforts to “clean” money from scams involving victims, many of whom were older adults, in California, Illinois, Washington, and Nevada, and business email compromise schemes affecting victim companies in Puerto Rico and Missouri.
The defendants or their co-conspirators conducted hundreds of transactions with the funds, including by obtaining cashier’s checks and money orders, and then using the cashier’s checks and money orders to purchase used cars that were shipped overseas to Nigeria.
Oluwasegun Baiyewu, Oluwaseun Adelekan, Ifeoluwa Dudubo, Temitope Omotayo, and Temitope Suleiman are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation San Juan Cyber Task Force, with assistance from the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force supporting the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force teams.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, stated, “Fraud that targets seniors is reprehensible, and money laundering networks like the one alleged in this case allow fraudsters to profit from their unlawful schemes.”
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico added, “These charges reflect the Department’s ongoing commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold criminals accountable, especially those who prey on vulnerable victims.”
This case shows what true coordination and teamwork looks like, and it speaks to our Cyber mission to bring risk and consequence to cyber criminals wherever they may be,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office.
Related Federal Cases
- Amgen Pays $71M for Pushing Drugs Off-Label · Oklahoma
- Amgen Inc, Pharmaceutical Misrepresentation, California 2024 · Oklahoma
- Edgar Hurtado-Ramirez, Money Laundering Conspiracy, Florida 2021 · New York
- Bharatkumar Patel, Money Laundering, Texas 2017 · Alabama
- Harsh Patel, Money Laundering, Houston TX, 2017 · New York
Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Category: White Collar Crime|Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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