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Air Peace Boss, Allen Onyema Exposed

Posted on November 25, 2019 by

Air Peace boss, Dr. Allen Ifechukwu Onyema is being charged by the United States Attorney’s Office, with bank fraud and money laundering.

The US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia reported that the Air Peace chairman laundered more than $20 million from Nigeria through United States bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of aeroplanes (airplanes).

We have obtained the ORIGINAL document of the charge which detailed the incident from A to Z. The document titled: “Count One Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud 18 U.S.C. § 1349″ Reads in part:

“1. Beginning on a date unknown, but at least as of May 2016 and continuing through at least February 2018, in the Northern District of Georgia and elsewhere, defendants ALLEN IFECHUKWU ATHAN ONYEMA, EJIROGHENE EGHAGHA, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, “did knowingly and willfully combine, conspire, confederate, agree, and have a tacit understanding with each other and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit bank fraud, an offense against the United States, “that is to knowingly devise and execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice

(i) to defraud financial institutions the deposits of which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, “that is, Wells Fargo Bank and JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, and

(ii) to obtain and attempt to obtain moneys, funds, and assets owned by and under the custody and control of those financial institutions by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, as well as by omission of material facts, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344 Background

  1. Defendant ALLEN IFECHUKWU ATHAN ONYEMA, a Nigerian citizen, is the founder and Chairman of several entities in Nigeria, including Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited, and Every Child Limited.
  2. Foundation for Ethnic Harmony is an organization founded by ONYEMA purportedly to promote harmonious co-existence among diverse ethnic groups in Nigeria through peace rallies, educational programming, and individual reorientation that encourages nonviolence and ethnic tolerance.
  3. International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development is an organization founded by ONYEMA purportedly to empower Nigerian youth through peace-building education and skills acquisition training.
  4. All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited is a grass roots communication network founded by ONYEMA purportedly to create enlightenment for Nigerian people of all ages on the universal applicability and advantages of peace.

ONYEMA transferred funds from his Nigerian bank accounts to his personal bank accounts in the United States

  1. In or around 2010, ONIEMA began frequently travelling to Atlanta, Georgia. From 2010 and continuing through 2017, ONYEMA travelled back and forth between Nigeria and Atlanta, Georgia to conduct various financial transactions.
  2. On or about April 2, 2010, ONIEMA opened a checking account ending in. 8086 in the name of Allen I. ONYEMA at a Bank of America branch in Atlanta, Georgia (“BOA 8086”). ONYRMA was the sole authorized signatory on the account. In or around August 2011, ONYEMA added his wife as a joint member to BOA 8086.
  3. Between April 2010 and January 2016, ONYEMA transferred millions of dollars into his BOA 8086 account from Nigerian and other foreign bank accounts, including hundreds of thousands of dollars transferred dfrectly from accounts for Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non Violence and Peace Development, All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited, and Every Child Limited.
  4. ONYEMA used the funds in his BOA 8086 account to pay for personal living expenses, among other purchases. For example, ONIEMA purchased an armored Lexus LX570 ($204,000.00), using, in part, funds from BOA 8086.
  5. In or about January 2016, Bank of America closed BOA 8086 and issued a cashier’s check in the amount of $4,000,396.43 made payable to ONYEMA and his wife.
  6. On or about March 1, 2016, ONYEMA opened a checking account ending in 3417 (“WE 3417”) and a savings account ending in 8020 (“WF 8020”) at a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Atlanta, Georgia. Both WF 3417 and WE 8020 were opened in the name of Allen I. ONYEMA, and ONYEMA was the sole authorized signatory on both accounts.
  7. On or about March 7, 2016, ONYEMA deposited the Bank of America cashier’s check into WE 8020. That same day, ONIEMA added his wife as a Secondary Joint Owner and authorized signatory to WE 8020 and WF 3417.
  8. Between on or about March 2, 2016, and May 10, 2016, Wells 8020 received numerous wire transfers totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his bank accounts domiciled in Nigeria, including but not limited to the bank account for All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited and Foundation for Ethnic Harmony.
  9. Erom March through May 2016, ONYEMA made numerous cash withdrawals from WF 8020 totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. WE 3417 was used to pay for personal expenses, including purchases at Atlanta, Georgia locations of Prada, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Louis Vuitton, the Apple Store, and various airlines.
  10. In March 2016, ONIEMA also used WF 8020 to purchase luxury cars, including a Rolls Royce for $180,000 and a Mercedes for $88,500, among others. 16. On or about November 14, 2017, ONYEMA opened a business checking account ending in 5512 (“JPMC 5512”) and business savings account ending in 2151 (“JPMC 2151”) at a JP Morgan Chase Bank branch in Atlanta, Georgia. Both JPMC 5512 and JPMC 2151 were opened in the name of Springfield Aviation Company, LLC, and ONYEMA was the sole authorized signatory on both accounts.
  11. In total, from 2010 through 2018, wire deposits amounting to over $44.9 million transferred from foreign accounts into ONYEMA’s Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and J.P. Morgan Chase accounts. ONYEMA founded AIR PEACE
  12. In 2013, ONIEMA founded Air Peace Limited (“Air Peace”), a private Nigerian airline based in Lagos, Nigeria, that provides passenger and charter services. ONYEMA is the Chairman and CEO of the entity. 19. EJIROGHENE EGHAGHA, a Nigerian citizen, is the Chief of Administration and Finance of Air Peace.
  13. Between 2013 and 2014, ONIEMA used multiple foreign bank accounts, including several Nigerian accounts, to purchase airplanes for the Air Peace fleet. These planes included Boeing 737 aircraft bearing serial numbers 25234, 25235, and 27530, and Dornier 328 aircraft bearing serial numbers 3221 and 3171. Funds to purchase these aircraft came from accounts for All-time Peace Media Communications, Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, Every Child Limited, and International Center for Non-Violence. The total amount of funds from these accounts used to purchase aircraft for Air Peace exceeded $3,000,000.
  14. Between 2013 and 2016, accounts associated with Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, AllTime Peace Media Communications Limited, and Every Child Limited in Nigeria transferred more than $3.8 million into bank accounts in the United States to a combination of escrow, logistical, and personal accounts. The funds were used to acquire, export, and service aircraft, as well as to purchase personal property. ONYEMA founded and used Springfield Aviation Company, LEC to facilitate large transfers of funds from his Nigerian bank accounts to the United States
  15. On or about April 4, 2016, a business attorney, at the direction of ONYEMA, established Springfield Aviation Company, LLC (“Springfield Aviation”) as a Limited Liability Company registered in Atlanta, Georgia that purported to specialize in the wholesaling, trading, and sale of commercial aircraft and parts. ONIEMA is the owner of Springfield Aviation.
  16. ONYEMA recruited E.M. to act as a manager of Springfield Aviation and to enter into contracts on its behalf.
  17. E.M. has no connection to the aviation business outside of her role with Springfield Aviation and has no education, training, or licensing in the review and valuation of aircraft, including aircraft components.
  18. On or about July 18, 2016, ONYEMA opened a business checking account ending in 8621 in the name of Springfield Aviation Company, LLC at a Wells Fargo branch in Atlanta, Georgia (“WF 8621”). ONYEMA was the sole authorized signer on WF 8621. In or about March 2017, ONIEMA opened a savings account ending in 0125 in the name of Springfield Aviation Company LLC at a Wells Fargo branch in Atlanta, Georgia (“WF 0125”).
  19. ONYEMA used WF 8621 to pay for personal expenses, among other things. For example, the account was used to make purchases at Atlanta locations of Publix, Macy’s, DSW, the Ritz-Carlton, and various restaurants.
  20. On August 22, 2018, ONYEMA established Bluestream Aero Services and Springfield Aviation Company in Ontario, Canada. ONYEMA also opened business bank accounts ending in 7523 held in the name of Springfield Aviation Company and 7515 held in the name of Bluestream Aero Services at Bank of Montreal (Canada).
  21. In November 2018, ONYEMA transferred around $10 million from WF 8020 to the Bank of Montreal accounts. Scheme and Artifice to Defraud.
  22. Beginning on a date unknown, but at least as of in or about May 2016 and continuing through at least in or about May 2017, ONYEMA, on behalf of Air Peace, purchased several aircraft.
  23. Beginning on a date unknown, but at least as of in or about May 2016 and continuing through at least in or about February 2018, ONYEMA, EGHAGHA, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, applied for export letters of credit to cause the transfer of funds from a Nigerian bank account for Aft Peace to Springfield Aviation bank accounts controlled by ONIEMA, purportedly to fund the purchase of aircraft by Aft Peace from Springfield Aviation.
  24. The aircraft that was referenced in each of the export letters of credit was never owned or sold by Springfield Aviation.
  25. In support of the letters of credit and to cause the disbursement of funds from either Wells Fargo Bank or JPMorgan Chase Bank NA into Springfield Aviation’s account, ONYRMA, EGHAGHA, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, with intent to defraud, submitted false documents to Wells Fargo, including fabricated purchase agreements, bills of sale, and valuation documents.
  26. EGHAGHA sent false documents to E.M. and directed E.M.to sign the documents on behalf of Springfield Aviation. EGHAGHA instructed E.M. to present false documents to the respective banks in support of each letter of credit. Letter of Credit One — FB16TLL00063
  27. In or around May 2016, ONYEMA, as the owner, Chairman, and CEO of Aft Peace, negotiated and purchased the Boeing 737-500 aircraft bearing manufacturer’s serial number (“MSN”) 28721 (“Boeing 28721”) from Commercial Jet Solutions, LLC. That sale was consummated by an Aircraft Purchase Agreement dated May 16, 2016, and a Bill of Sale dated July 13, 2016 for a total $2,078,000.
  28. The purchase was completed using three wire transfers from WE 8020 totaling $2,078,000: $500,000 on or about May 16, 2016; $73,000 on or about May 23, 2016; and $1,505,000 on or about July 14, 2016.
  29. In or about November 2016, Wells Fargo Bank received an export letter of credit request from Fidelity Bank in Nigeria on behalf of applicant Air Peace Ltd. The letter of credit requested that Wells Fargo accept as a transfer $1,682,184 for the benefit of Springfield Aviation. The purpose of the letter of credit was purportedly to fund Air Peace’s purchase of Boeing 28721 from Springfield Aviation, an aircraft already owned by Air Peace that was never owned by Springfield Aviation. The letter of credit was identified as FB16ILL00063. The directions for the letter of credit state that “Documents must strictly conform with the terms and conditions of the attached letter of credit” and that “DOCUMENTS DATED PRIOR TO L/C OPENING DATE NOT ACCEPTABLE.”
  30. In support of the letter of credit and to cause the disbursement of funds from Wells Fargo into Springfield Aviation’s account, ONYEMA, EGHAGHA, and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, presented false documents to Wells Fargo. Those documents included, among others: a. Sales and Purchase Agreement dated June 1, 2016, between Springfield Aviation and Air Peace for the Boeing 737, signed by ONYEMA as Chairman/CEO of Air Peace and signed by E.M. as Manager of Springfield Aviation, on or about September 22, 2016; b. Notarized Bill of Sale from Springfield Aviation to Air Peace, dated December 30, 2016; c. Commercial Invoice from Springfield Aviation to Air Peace, dated December 30, 2016; d. Valuation submitted on behalf of Springfield Aviation on December 30, 2016, which purported to be a “full aircraft appraisal” by “JMI LLC” that estimated the current market value of the Boeing Aircraft as $3,000,000; and e. Delivery Certificate dated December 30, 2016, certifying that Springfield Aviation delivered Boeing 28721 to Air Peace in conformity with the terms of the letter of credit.
  31. JMI LLC was not a valid business that conducted airplane valuations at any time relevant to this Indictment.
  32. On or about January 9, 2017, the letter of credit was amended to increase the amount of the anticipated fransfer to $2,000,000.
  33. On or about February 10, 2017, Wells Fargo transferred $1,982,228.46 into Springfield Aviation’s Wells Fargo account, WF 8621.
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– Source: Vanguardngr