The United States government has accused Air Peace CEO, Dr. Allen Onyema, of obstruction of justice, alleging that he and the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, Mrs. Ejiroghene Eghagha, submitted fake documents to stop charges of bank fraud and money laundering against them.
According to U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan, “After allegedly using his airline company (Air Peace) as a cover to commit fraud on the United States’ banking system, Onyema, along with his co-defendant, allegedly committed additional crimes of fraud in a failed attempt to derail the government’s investigation of his conduct.”
Buchanan emphasized, “The diligence of our federal investigative partners revealed the defendants’ alleged obstruction scheme, making it possible for the defendants to be held accountable for their aggravated conduct of attempting to impede a federal investigation.”
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Onyema and Eghagha were charged in a superseding indictment on October 8, 2024, with one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
This is in addition to previous charges of money laundering and bank fraud.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lisa Fontanette stated, “Allegedly, Onyema and his accomplices fraudulently used the U.S. banking system in an effort to hide the source of their ill-gotten money. Today’s superseding indictment is indicative of the dedication IRS-CI special agents and our law enforcement partners have, as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, to neutralize threats to the United States from criminal organizations.”
Fontanette’s statement highlights the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat financial crimes.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
Onyema had previously faced charges of money laundering and bank fraud, and these new allegations add to the growing list of accusations against him.