Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema Indicted In U.S. For Obstruction Of Justice In Fraud Probe, Faces New Charges

United States– Allen Onyema, the founder and CEO of Nigerian airline Air Peace, has been indicted in the United States on new charges of obstructing justice as part of an ongoing fraud investigation.

U.S. authorities allege that Onyema submitted falsified documents in an attempt to derail the investigation into earlier charges of bank fraud and money laundering.

Alongside Onyema, Ejiroghene Eghagha, Air Peace’s Chief of Administration and Finance, is also facing charges.

Eghagha is accused of playing a significant role in both the obstruction of justice and previous fraudulent activities targeting the U.S. financial system.

U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan stated that Onyema allegedly used Air Peace as a front for a fraudulent scheme aimed at exploiting the American banking sector.

Buchanan claims that when the investigation escalated, Onyema and Eghagha attempted to thwart it by submitting forged documents.

Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Division, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to holding those involved in fraud and money laundering accountable, emphasized the serious nature of the charges against Onyema and his co-defendant.

IRS Special Agent Lisa Fontanette added that the superseding indictment reflects the persistent efforts of law enforcement to dismantle criminal threats, especially through task forces like the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).

The charges stem from Onyema’s alleged involvement in a scheme where, between 2010 and 2018, he transferred over $44.9 million from foreign sources into his U.S. bank accounts.

Starting in May 2016, he and Eghagha reportedly used falsified export letters of credit to transfer more than $20 million into Onyema’s U.S. accounts under the guise of purchasing Boeing 737 aircraft for Air Peace.

However, the documents supporting the transactions were allegedly fake, and Springfield Aviation, the company involved, was reportedly owned by Onyema and had no real connection to aviation.

In 2019, when Onyema learned he was under investigation, he and Eghagha allegedly conspired to submit a backdated contract to U.S. authorities to mislead the investigation and unfreeze bank accounts. This fraudulent attempt was presented by Onyema’s attorneys to authorities in an effort to stop the investigation.

Onyema and Eghagha were first indicted in November 2019 on charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, multiple counts of bank fraud, credit application fraud, and money laundering.

The recent indictment adds charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The case remains under investigation, and both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

The investigation is being conducted by the DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Commerce, and Department of Treasury, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett Bradford and Christopher Huber leading the prosecution.

In a rebuttal, an Air Peace spokesperson told Premium Times in a telephone interview on Saturday, said the new development in the case is a mere recycling of the same set of allegations.

The official said Onyema’s legal team would give a more formal response in due time.