Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema Faces New US Charges for Alleged Money Laundering

Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema Faces New US Charges for Alleged Money Laundering. The U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia has issued an arrest warrant for Ejiroghene Eghagha, Chief of Finance and Administration at Air Peace, in connection with an ongoing investigation. Eghagha, along with Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema, faces fresh charges in a superseding indictment accusing them of submitting false documents to obstruct a federal probe. On October 8, 2024, Court Clerk Kevin Weimer announced the warrant, citing Eghagha’s alleged involvement in the scheme.

Since 2019, U.S. authorities have been investigating Onyema and Eghagha for alleged money laundering. Onyema is accused of laundering over $20 million through U.S. bank accounts under the guise of purchasing aircraft, while Eghagha faces additional charges of aggravated identity theft.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan recently detailed new accusations, claiming the two committed further fraudulent acts to disrupt the investigation. Buchanan highlighted that Onyema used his airline to defraud the U.S. banking system and later, with Eghagha, attempted to derail the government’s investigation.

In 2016, the pair allegedly orchestrated a transfer of over $20 million using false export letters of credit. The funds, purportedly meant for purchasing Boeing 737 planes for Air Peace, were transferred to Atlanta-based accounts. Investigations revealed that fraudulent documents backed the transactions, and the planes were falsely linked to Springfield Aviation, a Georgia-based company owned by Onyema, which never owned the aircraft.

This ongoing case has intensified as U.S. authorities continue their pursuit of justice for the alleged financial crimes.