Four Men Charged in a Superseding Indictment with Conspiring to Launder Funds from Various Fraud Schemes

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico returned a superseding indictment charging four men with one count of conspiracy to launder funds from wire, mail, and access device fraud schemes. One defendant, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, was previously charged on Oct. 21, 2021.

According to court documents, Oluwaseun Adelekan 40, and Temitope Omotayo, 40, both of Staten Island, New York; Ifeoluwa Dudubo, 37, of Austin, Texas; and Temitope Suleiman, 37, and Oluwasegun Baiyewu, 37, of Richmond, Texas, conspired to launder funds from different international organized fraud schemes, including romance, pandemic relief unemployment insurance fraud, and business email compromise scams. These fraud schemes disproportionately impacted elderly or otherwise vulnerable Americans.

“Fraud that targets seniors is reprehensible, and money laundering networks like the one alleged in this case allow fraudsters to profit from their unlawful schemes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to pursuing investigations and prosecutions of those who victimize the elderly and other vulnerable members of our community.”

“These charges reflect the Department’s ongoing commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold criminals accountable, especially those who prey on vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico. “We remain steadfast in our resolve to prosecute individuals who target seniors who have been victimized for far too long by individuals who hide in the shadows and in foreign nations to commit their crimes.”

“This case shows what true coordination and teamwork looks like, and it speaks to our Cyber mission to bring risk and consequence to cyber criminals wherever they may be,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office. “The FBI’s commitment to protect the people and uphold the Constitution is not limited to the subjects' or victims' location. This is only possible thanks to our strong working relationships with our state and federal partners and our FBI colleagues across the nation and the globe. Special thanks to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico for their continued support and our FBI San Antonio and Houston colleagues for their assistance in this investigation.”

The superseding indictment alleges that in 2020 and 2021, the defendants worked together to profit from efforts to “clean” money from scams involving victims, many of whom were older adults, in California, Illinois, Washington, and Nevada, and business email compromise schemes affecting victim companies in Puerto Rico and Missouri. After receiving the proceeds, the defendants or their co-conspirators conducted hundreds of transactions with the funds, including by obtaining cashier’s
checks and money orders, and then using the cashier’s checks and money orders to purchase used cars that were shipped overseas to Nigeria.

Adelekan, Baiyewu, Dudubo, Omotayo, and Suleiman are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation San Juan Cyber Task Force are investigating this case, with assistance from the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force supporting the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force teams.

Trial Attorneys Emily C. Powers and Brandon Robers of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edwin G. Mercado for the District of Puerto Rico are prosecuting the case.

The department’s extensive and broad-based efforts to combat elder fraud seek to halt the widespread losses seniors suffer from fraud schemes. The best method for prevention, however, is by sharing information about the various types of elder fraud schemes with relatives, friends, neighbors, and other seniors who can use that information to protect themselves. The agencies involved in this effort urge consumers to be on the lookout for signs someone is trying to recruit them to receive and transmit fraud proceeds. Do not agree to receive money or checks mailed to you or sent to your bank account for someone you have met over the phone or online. Do not open a bank or cryptocurrency account at someone else’s direction. Fraudsters will lie to persuade you to help them. They may falsely tell you that they are helping you get a lottery prize, initiate a purported romantic relationship and then tell you that they need money, or pretend to offer you a job, an opportunity to invest in a business venture, or the chance to help in a charitable effort.

The department urges individuals to be on the lookout for unauthorized debits to their accounts. Regularly check your bank, credit card, and other financial statements and contact your financial institution if you see a charge you do not recognize. Report any fraudulent debit you identify to law enforcement. Reports may be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico visit their website at www.justice.gov/usao-pr. Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. Information about the Justice Department's COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force is available at www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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