Olugbenga Lawal, a 33-year-old Nigerian residing in Indianapolis, Indiana, was on Monday, handed a 10-year and one-month prison sentence, coupled with a restitution order surpassing $1.46 million.
Lawal was found guilty of conspiring to launder money from sophisticated internet fraud schemes orchestrated by an international criminal organization.
Court documents and trial evidence revealed Lawal’s direct involvement with the Nigeria-based leader of the criminal syndicate, responsible for defrauding numerous individuals and businesses in the United States through elaborate internet scams, notably romance fraud and business email compromise schemes.
The syndicate particularly targeted elderly victims who were led to believe they were romantically involved with individuals they met online. Lawal played a pivotal role in laundering the substantial proceeds generated from these fraudulent schemes.
Between January 2019 and June 2020, bank accounts associated with Lawal and his associates received millions of dollars directly linked to internet fraud victims.
Lawal’s controlled accounts amassed over $3.6 million in deposits during this period, spread across multiple accounts under his name or his business entity, Luxe Logistics LLC.
He meticulously managed accounts across five financial institutions, actively facilitating money laundering operations.
Furthermore, Lawal facilitated the transfer of fraud proceeds to Nigeria by converting the funds deposited into Nigerian currency through import/export deals involving vehicle shipments and currency exchange transactions.
Lawal’s conviction on Aug. 10, 2023, by a federal jury for conspiring to commit money laundering adds to guilty pleas previously entered by three co-conspirators, namely Michael Hermann, Rita Assane, and Dwight Baines, for their involvement in the money laundering conspiracy.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss for the District of Delaware, and Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. The FBI led the investigation.
Trial Attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the District of Delaware prosecuted the case, supported by MLARS Trial Attorneys.
