TOLEDO, Ohio — After a four-day trial, a federal jury has convicted three people and brought the total number of defendants convicted in a sprawling international fraud scheme to 25.
On April 24, 2026, a jury in Toledo found Oluwafemi Michael Awoyemi, 40, of Romeoville, Illinois; Aruan Drake, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Peter Reed, 35, of Oak Forest, Illinois, guilty of Wire Fraud Conspiracy. Awoyemi and Drake were also convicted of Money Laundering Conspiracy. U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp II presided.
Prosecutors say the group operated a “business email compromise” scam that targeted more than 1,000 victims in 47 states and 19 countries and stole roughly $215 million. According to court documents, Nigerian-linked fraud organizations hacked into e-mail accounts belonging to individuals and businesses, monitored communications to learn business practices and contacts, and then sent highly tailored fraudulent payment requests that appeared legitimate to recipients. Stolen funds were moved through a network of fraudulent bank accounts and cash-transfer services to launder and distribute proceeds.
Investigators say about $50 million of the stolen funds was used to purchase cashier’s checks that were cashed at New Dolton Currency Exchange, a Chicago-area money service run by co-defendant Lon Goodman. Goodman, 69, of Whiting, Indiana, is accused of accepting cashier’s checks presented with false identification or payable to others, ignoring warnings from banks that checks were fraudulent, and accepting checks payable to shell companies when accepting checks in individuals’ names became too risky.
Ohio businesses victimized were located in Norwalk, Kent, Akron, Hudson, Maple Heights, Westfield Center, New Riegel, and Greenwich. Other U.S. victims were identified in New York, California, Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Michigan and many additional states. International victims were reported in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Panama, Bermuda, Romania and elsewhere.
Wire transfers from victims ranged from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. In one instance prosecutors say a victim business sent $2.7 million to a shell company account controlled by a conspiracy member.
Items seized or subject to forfeiture during the investigation included nearly $1.2 million in cashier’s checks, cryptocurrency and cash; high-end watches (a Patek Philippe Nautilus valued at about $45,000; an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak at about $30,000; and a Richard Mille Felipe Massa at about $140,000); and a 4,423-square-foot residence in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
In addition to the three convicted at trial, the following defendants have pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Money Laundering Conspiracy: Ayobami Osas Christopher (aka Lovely Man), Emmauel Okereke (aka Omo Igbo), Olalekan Bashiru (aka Ola Bash), Mark Dabney, Casey Adesulu Jr., Jeremiah Agina, Ayorinde Emmanuel Adebayo, Emily Agyemang, Ademola Balogun, Olabode Bankole, India Barnes, Emmanuel Essilfie, Chukwuemeka Evulukwu, Jeremiah Glinsey, Lon Goodman, Shaquille I. Jackson, Mikhail Keize, Katiera Lackey, Kingsley Owusu, Anton Parker, Carlton Pruitt and Ronnell Spencer. Sentences for each defendant will be determined by the court based on individual factors including criminal history and role in the conspiracy.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Border Patrol Sandusky Bay Intelligence Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gene Crawford and Robert Melching prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
