{"id":5988,"date":"2019-11-24T23:23:09","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T23:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/ng\/?p=5988"},"modified":"2019-11-24T23:23:09","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T23:23:09","slug":"rise-fall-of-nigerias-air-peace-airline-boss-american-canadian-governments-declare-allen-onyema-wanted-over-20million-fraud-justice-department-indict-him-for-money-laundering-interpol-efcc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/rise-fall-of-nigerias-air-peace-airline-boss-american-canadian-governments-declare-allen-onyema-wanted-over-20million-fraud-justice-department-indict-him-for-money-laundering-interpol-efcc\/","title":{"rendered":"Rise & Fall of Nigeria’s Air Peace Airline boss: American, Canadian Governments declare ALLEN ONYEMA Wanted over $20million Fraud…Justice department indict him for money laundering *INTERPOL, EFCC set to effect arrest, extradite fugitive to America * lavishes $180,000 on Rolls Royce, $88,500 Mercedes cars, $204,000.00 on armored Lexus LX570 *Forged financial instruments using fake export letters of credit at Bank of America BOA 8086, Wells Fargo WF 3417 , J.P. Morgan Chase account number XXXXXXXXXXX5512 and Bank of Montreal Canada account number XXXXXXX7515 *Huge mansions in Atlanta, Roaming Mobile phone (404-467-xxxx) under security surveillance (Home located at): 3475 Oak Valley RD NE #40, Atlanta, GA 30326 , 3390 Fairburn RD SW #K171 Atlanta, GA 30331 * Detectives bust his FAKE business deals in United States, Facing 40 years JAIL TERM in total if found guilty in U.S. and Canada, U.S. Marshals ready to take him into custody * \u201cOnyema\u2019s status as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He corrupted the U.S. banking system, but his trail of deceit and trickery came to a skidding halt\u201d- Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent Robert J. Murphy * “I am innocent of all fraud charges in United States of America. I work hard for my money. I am ready to face the court in America to prove my innocence and clear my name”-embattled Air Peace chairman lament BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU, AMERICAN Foreign Bureau Chief & DINA SOLOMON AMAECHI\/SPECIAL CRIME EDITOR, CANADA & OLA IDOWU, CRIME REPORTER, ABUJA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Rise\n& Fall of Nigeria’s Air Peace Airline boss:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

American,\nCanadian Governments declare ALLEN ONYEMA Wanted over $20million\nFraud<\/strong>…Justice\ndepartment indict him for money laundering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*INTERPOL,\nEFCC set to effect arrest, extradite fugitive to America<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nlavishes $180,000 on Rolls Royce, $88,500 Mercedes cars, $204,000.00\non armoured Lexus LX570 <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Forged\nfinancial instruments using fake export\nletters of credit<\/strong>\nat\nBank\nof America BOA 8086, Wells Fargo WF 3417 , J.P. Morgan Chase account\nnumber XXXXXXXXXXX5512\nand Bank of Montreal\nCanada account number XXXXXXX7515<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Huge\nmansions in Atlanta, Roaming Mobile phone (404-467-<\/strong>xxxx)<\/strong>\nunder security surveillance (Home located at): 3475 Oak Valley RD NE\n#40, Atlanta, GA 30326 , 3390 Fairburn RD SW #K171 Atlanta, GA 30331 <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nDetectives bust his FAKE business deals in United States, Facing\n40 years JAIL TERM in total if found guilty in U.S. and Canada, U.S.\nMarshals ready to take him into custody<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n\u201cOnyema\u2019s\nstatus as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He\ncorrupted the U.S. banking system, but his trail of deceit and\ntrickery came to a skidding halt\u201d- Drug Enforcement Agency Special\nAgent Robert J. Murphy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n“I am innocent of all fraud charges in United States of America.\nI work hard for my money. I am ready to face the court in America to\nprove my innocence and clear my name”-embattled Air Peace\nchairman lament<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY\nGEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU, AMERICAN Foreign Bureau Chief & DINA SOLOMON\nAMAECHI\/SPECIAL CRIME EDITOR, CANADA & OLA IDOWU, CRIME REPORTER,\nABUJA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THERE\nSEEMS TO COME AN END OF THE ROAD FOR ALLEN ONYEMA, THE EMBATTLED\nMANAGING DIRECTOR OF NIGERIA’S Air Peace Airline as latest documents\nmade available by United States Department of Justice and Canadian\ngovernment have shown that the soft-spoken boss of this troubled\nairplane is in troubled water, been that he had been declared wanted\nby American and Canadian authorities for falsely defrauding these\nnations to the tune of of over Twenty Million dollars ($20million) by\nsubmitting fake financial instruments into Bank\nof America, Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase and \nBank of Montreal Canada. He is facing a minimum jail term of 40 years\nif found guilty and convicted.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\ntop-notch \nbusinessman who owns Nigeria\u2019s largest airline, was indicted by\nUnited States authorities on charges of fraud and money laundering.He\nallegedly moved \u201cmore than $20 million from Nigeria though United\nStates bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on\nthe purchase of airplanes\u201d, while the company\u2019s chief of\nadministration and finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, was charged with bank\nfraud and identity theft in the same case, as confirmed in the\nstatement. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onyema,\nwho is also the airline\u2019s chief executive officer, allegedly used\nexport letters of credit that were supposedly to fund the purchase of\nfive Boeing 737 passenger planes by Air Peace to get banks to\ntransfer the money, according to the Justiced Department statement.\nSupporting documents from a U.S. registered company owned by Onyema\n\u201cwere fake,\u201dit said. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nthen allegedly laundered over $16 million of the proceeds by\ntransferring it to other accounts, the Department of Justice said.\nMore than $3 million of the transferred funds allegedly came from\naccounts of organizations set up by Onyema to promote peace across\nNigeria, according to the statement.


\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onyema\nand Eghagha deny all the charges and will \u201cvigorously defend\u201d\nthemselves, according to a statement prepared by their lawyers, A.O.\nAlegeh & Co. \u201cThe allegations are unfounded and strange,\u201d\nsaid the statement. The\nAir Peace boss \u201clooks forward to an opportunity to rebut these\nallegations in court,\u201d the statement said.


\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onyema\nfounded Air Peace in 2013 and the carrier now offers numerous\ndomestic routes in Nigeria as well as flights to other West African\ndestinations and Dubai. The Lagos-based carrier recently won praise\nfor repatriating Nigerians from South Africa during a wave of\nxenophobic violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cOnyema\u2019s\nstatus as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He\ncorrupted the U.S. banking system, but his trail of deceit and\ntrickery came to a skidding halt,\u201d Drug Enforcement Agency Special\nAgent Robert J. Murphy said in the DOJ statement.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nUS District Court of the Northern District of Georgia has issued a\nwarrant of arrest against Mr Allen Onyema, the chairman of Nigerian\nAir Peace Airline over alleged money laundering and bank fraud<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOnyema’s\n warrant of arrest was signed by Justin Anand, an American magistrate\nof the United States District Court of the Northern District of\nGeorgia, on November 19. The warrant authorized U.S. Marshals Service\nto take Mr Onyema into custody. Recall that the US prosecutor at the\nJustice department on Friday alleged that the Air Peace boss moved\nmore than $20 million from Nigeria though United States bank accounts\nin a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of\nairplanes. Air Peace chief of administration and finance, Ejiroghene\nEghagha, was also indicted with bank fraud and identity theft in the\nsame case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAmong\nother crimes, he was also accused of using export letters of credit\nthat were supposedly to fund the purchase of five Boeing 737\npassenger planes by Air Peace to get banks to transfer the money,\nadding that documents from a U.S. registered company owned by Onyema\nwere fake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nHe\nwas also said to have laundered over $16 million of the proceeds by\ntransferring it to other accounts noting that more than $3 million of\nthe transferred funds allegedly came from accounts of organizations\nset up by Onyema to promote peace across Nigeria. Oyeama faces\nextradition from Nigeria to the US to face trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nCanadian\nauthorities have commenced efforts to execute a corresponding arrest\nwarrant issued for a Nigerian businessman accused of fraud in the\nUnited States. Onyema, chairman\nof Air Peace Limited in Nigeria, is facing multiple charges of money\nlaundering and bank fraud in excess of $20 million. A United States\ngrand jury recently\nindicted Mr Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha<\/a>,\nAir\nPeace\u2019s head of finance and administration. Both suspects denied\nthe allegation in a statement Saturday and indicated their\ndetermination to fight the charges in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAlthough\nMessrs Onyema and Eghagha are currently believed to be in Nigeria,\njudges in the U.S. have been issuing warrants for their arrest,\naccording to court filings sighted by Naija Standard Newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOn\nSeptember 5, Russell Vineyard, a magistrate at the United States\nDistrict Court for the Northern District of Georgia, issued a\ncorresponding warrant of arrest for Messrs Onyema and Eghagha in\nCanada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAmerican\nprosecutors had sought the warrant to enable Canadian law enforcement\nauthorities take the suspects into custody if sighted in their\njurisdiction. As part of a longstanding tradition on cross-border\ncrimes, American authorities have briefed their Canadian counterparts\nabout their case against the two Nigerians, documents said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nONYEMA\ntransferred funds from his Nigerian bank accounts to his personal\nbank accounts in the United States<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nFor\nthe records, in or around 2010, ONIEMA began frequently travelling\nto Atlanta, Georgia. From 2010 and continuing through 2017, ONYEMA\ntravelled back and forth between Nigeria and Atlanta, Georgia to\nconduct various financial transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOn\nor about April 2, 2010, Onyema opened a checking account ending in.\n8086 in the name of Allen I. ONYEMA at a Bank of America branch in\nAtlanta, Georgia (\u201cBOA 8086\u201d). ONYRMA was the sole authorized\nsignatory on the account. In or around August 2011, ONYEMA added his\nwife as a joint member to BOA 8086.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBetween\nApril 2010 and January 2016, ONYEMA transferred millions of dollars\ninto his BOA 8086 account from Nigerian and other foreign bank\naccounts, including hundreds of thousands of dollars transferred\ndirectly from accounts for Foundation for Ethnic Harmony,\nInternational Center for Non Violence and Peace Development, All-Time\nPeace Media Communications Limited, and Every Child Limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nONYEMA\nused the funds in his BOA 8086 account to pay for personal living\nexpenses, among other purchases. For example, Onyema purchased an\narmoured Lexus LX570 ($204,000.00), using, in part, funds from BOA\n8086.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn\nor about January 2016, Bank of America closed BOA 8086 and issued a\ncashier\u2019s check in the amount of $4,000,396.43 made payable to\nONYEMA and his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOn\nor about March 1, 2016, ONYEMA opened a checking account ending in\n3417 (\u201cWE 3417\u201d) and a savings account ending in 8020 (\u201cWF\n8020\u201d) at a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Atlanta, Georgia. Both WF\n3417 and WE 8020 were opened in the name of Allen I. ONYEMA, and\nONYEMA was the sole authorized signatory on both accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOn\nor about March 7, 2016, ONYEMA deposited the Bank of America\ncashier\u2019s check into WE 8020. That same day, ONIEMA added his wife\nas a Secondary Joint Owner and authorized signatory to WE 8020 and WF\n3417.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBetween\non or about March 2, 2016, and May 10, 2016, Wells 8020 received\nnumerous wire transfers totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars\nfrom his bank accounts domiciled in Nigeria, including but not\nlimited to the bank account for All-Time Peace Media Communications\nLimited and Foundation for Ethnic Harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nFrom\nMarch through May 2016, ONYEMA made numerous cash withdrawals from WF\n8020 totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars. WE 3417 was used to\npay for personal expenses, including purchases at Atlanta, Georgia\nlocations of Prada, Neiman Marcus, Macy\u2019s, Louis Vuitton, the Apple\nStore, and various airlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In\nMarch 2016, ONIEMA also used WF 8020 to purchase luxury cars,\nincluding a Rolls Royce for $180,000 and a Mercedes for $88,500,\namong others. 16. On or about November 14, 2017, ONYEMA opened a\nbusiness checking account ending in 5512 (\u201cJPMC 5512\u201d) and\nbusiness savings account ending in 2151 (\u201cJPMC 2151\u201d) at a JP\nMorgan Chase Bank branch in Atlanta, Georgia. Both
JPMC 5512 and\nJPMC 2151 were opened in the name of Springfield Aviation Company,\nLLC, and ONYEMA was the sole authorized signatory on both accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn\ntotal, from 2010 through 2018, wire deposits amounting to over $44.9\nmillion transferred from foreign accounts into ONYEMA\u2019s Bank of\nAmerica, Wells Fargo, and J.P. Morgan Chase accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nUS authorities said it has also seized funds in, at least, three bank\naccounts it said were traced to both Air Peace chiefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nfunds listed in the indictment included: \u201d $4,017,852.51 in funds\nseized from JP Morgan Chase Bank account number XXXXXXXXXXX5512 held\nin the name of Springfield Aviation Company, LLC; $4,593,842.05 in\nfunds held in Bank of Montreal Canada account number XXXXXXX7523 held\nin the name of Springfield Aviation Inc. and $5,634,842.04 in funds\nheld in Bank of Montreal Canada account number XXXXXXX7515 held in\nthe name of Bluestream Aero Services, Inc.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nMeanwhile,\nthe United States and Canadian governments have directed\nthe International Police, INTERPOL, Nigeria’s anti-graft agency,\nEconomic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to effect arrest,\nextradition of this fugitive back to America for immediate\nprosecution after which he would be transferred to Canada for\ncriminal trial. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTo\nensure his quick arrest, Onyema’s huge mansions\nin Atlanta and roaming mobile phone number 404-467-xxxx\nare presently under intense\nsecurity surveillance as undercover detectives daily visit his home\nlocated at 3475 Oak Valley RD NE #40, Atlanta, GA 30326 , 3390\nFairburn RD SW #K171 Atlanta, GA 30331.\n<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nfunds will be forfeited to the United States if \u201cupon conviction of\none or more of the offenses alleged\u201d counts one to thirty-six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onyema reportedly added: \u201cI\nam innocent of all fraud charges in United States of America. I work\nhard for my money. I am ready to face the court in America to prove\nmy innocence and clear my name\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rise & Fall of Nigeria’s Air Peace Airline boss: American, Canadian Governments declare ALLEN ONYEMA Wanted over $20million Fraud…Justice department indict him for money laundering *INTERPOL, EFCC set to effect arrest, extradite fugitive to America * lavishes $180,000 on Rolls Royce, $88,500 Mercedes cars, $204,000.00 on armoured Lexus LX570 *Forged financial instruments using fake export […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nigeria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}