This information is detailed in an indictment obtained by Nairametrics, which outlines serious allegations of fraud and money laundering against Onyema and his associate, Ejiroghene Eghagha, who serves as the Chief of Administration and Finance at Air Peace.
The indictment presents several charges against the defendants: Count One accuses them of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, while Counts Two through Four specify various instances of bank fraud.
Count Five addresses conspiracy to commit credit application fraud, with Counts Six through Eight detailing instances of credit application fraud. Furthermore, Counts Nine through Thirty-Five involve charges of money laundering.
Should the defendants be found guilty of the offenses listed in Counts One through Five, they will be obligated to forfeit any property obtained through the alleged criminal activities, which includes substantial amounts held in bank accounts associated with their businesses.
Specifically, the U.S. government is seeking the forfeiture of:
- $4,017,852.51 from a JP Morgan Chase Bank account belonging to Springfield Aviation Inc.
- $4,393,842.05 from a Bank of Montreal account also linked to Springfield Aviation Inc.
- $5,634,842.04 from another Bank of Montreal account associated with Blue Stream Aero Services, Inc.
The indictment further indicates that if any of the forfeitable properties cannot be located, have been transferred, or have lost value, the U.S. government will pursue the forfeiture of other assets owned by the defendants equivalent to the value of the forfeitable properties.
These legal proceedings are being conducted under the supervision of U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, along with Garrett L. Bradford and Christopher J. Huber.
Recently, it was reported that the U.S. government has indicted Allen Onyema, the CEO of Air Peace, on charges related to obstruction of justice.
Onyema is accused of submitting fraudulent documents to obstruct a federal investigation into bank fraud and money laundering, alongside Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly utilized fake export letters of credit to transfer more than $20 million into U.S. bank accounts from 2016 to 2018, which were purportedly for the acquisition of five Boeing 737 aircraft. Investigations indicated that the documents were falsified and that Springfield Aviation, owned by Onyema, had no legitimate involvement in any aviation transactions.
Following the initial allegations, the indictment claims that Onyema and Eghagha directed a manager at Springfield Aviation to sign a backdated contract, which was then submitted to U.S. authorities in an effort to obstruct the investigation and unfreeze bank accounts.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan stated that Onyema exploited his airline as a facade for fraudulent activities and sought to hinder the investigation.
In light of the obstruction of justice charges against Allen Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha, Air Peace Limited acknowledged that these allegations are part of a broader legal process concerning prior financial misconduct claims.
The airline reiterated that both executives are presumed innocent until proven guilty and assured the public that the ongoing legal matters will not affect the safety or daily operations of the airline.
The responsibility to prove the charges lies with the U.S. government, which must establish them beyond a reasonable doubt.