The United States government has escalated its case against Allen Onyema, CEO of Air Peace, by filing additional charges related to a $20 million bank fraud scheme.
Onyema, who has been wanted by U.S. authorities for the past five years, has maintained his innocence. However, a new indictment by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has introduced new allegations of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Onyema is accused of submitting false documents to U.S. authorities in 2019 with the intent to halt an investigation and unfreeze his bank accounts. The investigation focuses on Onyema’s alleged misuse of his airline, Air Peace, to commit fraud by misrepresenting funds earmarked for aircraft purchases.
Onlyema and his co-defendant, Ejiroghene Eghagha, have been evading arrest warrants issued by U.S. and Canadian authorities since 2019. Prosecutors allege that the pair moved millions of dollars from Nigeria to U.S. bank accounts under the pretense of purchasing aircraft, using counterfeit documents and contracts to facilitate the transfer of funds.
In the most recent allegations, prosecutors accuse Onlyema of presenting a contract with a falsified date to U.S. authorities in an attempt to hinder the investigation. The new charges bring the total to 36 counts of conspiracy, money laundering, bank fraud, and identity theft that were originally filed against Onlyema and Eghagha.
Despite the pending case, Onyema remains in Nigeria and has yet to face the court to defend against the allegations. A spokesperson for Air Peace dismissed the latest developments, noting that Onyema’s legal team would formally respond at a later time. The CEO has consistently denied the accusations and promised to defend his innocence in U.S. courts. Yet, five years later, neither he nor Eghagha has appeared in court.
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