Allen Onyema, Air Peace CEO, Faces New US Money Laundering Charges
US Govt Indicts Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema, Files New Fraud and Obstruction Charges.
The United States government has filed new charges against Allen Onyema, the founder and CEO of Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading airline, accusing him of obstruction of justice in connection to previous bank fraud and money laundering allegations.
In the latest indictment, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia on October 8, 2024, Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha, Air Peace’s Chief of Administration and Finance, are facing charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and falsifying documents in a bid to halt the ongoing investigation into their previous charges.
Allen Onyema : Alleged Scheme Involving Fraudulent Activities
According to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, Allen Onyema is alleged to have used his airline as a front to commit fraud on the U.S. banking system. The indictment claims that Onyema, along with Eghagha, submitted falsified documents to obstruct the investigation.
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“Onyema and his co-defendant allegedly committed additional crimes of fraud in a failed attempt to derail the government’s investigation of his conduct,” Buchanan stated.
Background of the Case against Allen Onyema
The initial allegations against Onyema date back to a scheme spanning from 2010 to 2018, during which the Air Peace CEO is accused of moving more than $44.9 million from foreign accounts into U.S. bank accounts.
Starting in 2016, Allen Onyema and Eghagha reportedly used falsified export letters of credit to funnel over $20 million into the U.S., allegedly for the purchase of Boeing 737 aircraft for Air Peace.
However, investigators claim the documents were fraudulent, and that Springfield Aviation, a company allegedly tied to Onyema, had no real links to the aviation industry.
In 2019, after learning of the investigation, Onyema and Eghagha are said to have submitted a backdated contract in an attempt to deceive U.S. authorities and unfreeze their bank accounts.
They were initially indicted in November 2019 on charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, credit application fraud, and money laundering.
Ongoing Investigation.
The investigation, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), is still ongoing. Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Division, emphasized that the charges against Onyema and Eghagha reflect their efforts to hold individuals accountable for criminal activities involving fraud and money laundering.

Despite the new charges, Onyema and Eghagha maintain their innocence and will face trial in the United States.
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The case has drawn widespread attention due to Onyema’s prominent role in Nigeria’s aviation sector and the scale of the alleged financial misconduct.
Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.