The United States government has asked a US District Court, Northern District of Georgia to approve the forfeiture of approximately $14 million in assets from Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, the CEO of Air Peace, following a recent superseding indictment.
This is contained in an indictment, which outlining serious allegations of fraud and money laundering against Onyema and his associate Ejiroghene Eghagha, who is the Chief of Administration and Finance at Air Peace.
The indictment includes multiple counts against the defendants: Count One alleges conspiracy to commit bank fraud, while Counts Two through Four detail instances of bank fraud.
Count Five pertains to conspiracy to commit credit application fraud, followed by Counts Six through Eight for credit application fraud. Additionally, Counts Nine through Thirty-Five address charges of money laundering.
If convicted of the offenses outlined in Counts One through Five, the defendants will be required to forfeit any property derived from the alleged criminal activities, including significant sums held in bank accounts tied to their businesses.
Specifically, the U.S. government seeks forfeiture of:
$4,017,852.51 from a JP Morgan Chase Bank account held by Springfield Aviation Inc.
$4,393,842.05 from a Bank of Montreal account, also associated with Springfield Aviation Inc.
$5,634,842.04 from another Bank of Montreal account linked to Blue Stream Aero Services, Inc.
The indictment further states that if any of the forfeitable properties cannot be located, have been transferred, or diminished in value, the U.S. intends to seek the forfeiture of other assets belonging to the defendants equivalent to the value of the forfeitable properties.
The legal actions are being pursued under the oversight of U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, along with Garrett L. Bradford and Christopher J. Huber.
Recall that the U.S. government indicted Allen Onyema, CEO of Air Peace, on charges of obstruction of justice.
Onyema was said have allegedly submitted false documents to hinder a federal investigation into bank fraud and money laundering, alongside Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office claims that Onyema and Eghagha used fraudulent export letters of credit to transfer over $20 million into U.S. bank accounts between 2016 and 2018, intended for purchasing five Boeing 737 aircraft. Investigations revealed that the documentation was falsified and that Springfield Aviation, owned by Onyema, had no legitimate role in aviation transactions.
Following the initial charges, the indictment states that Onyema and Eghagha instructed a manager at Springfield Aviation to sign a backdated contract, which was then submitted to U.S. authorities to obstruct the investigation and unfreeze bank accounts.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan emphasized that Onyema used his airline as a cover for fraud and attempted to impede the investigation.
In response to the obstruction of justice indictment against Allen Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha, Air Peace Limited acknowledged that the charges are part of an extended legal process related to previous financial misconduct allegations.
The airline emphasized that both executives remain innocent until proven guilty, and assured the public that ongoing legal proceedings will not impact the safety or daily operations of the airline.
