By Johnson Idowu
The United States has announced plans to deport a Nigerian national, Ayobami Omoniyi, after he completes a 32-month prison sentence for his role in a $202,000 money laundering scheme.
The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Thursday.
According to the statement, Omoniyi and his co-conspirators in 2021 received and transferred funds obtained from victims of financial fraud, including a fishing company in Australia.
Investigations revealed that the syndicate operated an unlicensed money-transmitting business linked to business email compromise scams.
“Victims received spoofed emails that appeared to come from legitimate businesses and were tricked into sending payments to accounts controlled by the conspirators,” the statement said.
It added that Omoniyi admitted to moving fraud proceeds through multiple bank accounts, fully aware of the illicit origin of the funds.
“As part of his plea, Omoniyi acknowledged receiving victims’ funds and, for a fee, transmitting the proceeds to other members of the scheme,” the statement noted.
Following his guilty plea, Omoniyi was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen to 32 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $202,273.80 in restitution.
The Justice Department said he would be deported upon completion of his sentence, as he is not a U.S. citizen.
“At the hearing, the court heard that Omoniyi had been involved in criminal activities since arriving in the United States and also acted as a recruiter for the scheme,” the statement added.
He is expected to remain in custody pending transfer to a federal correctional facility.
Omoniyi’s case adds to a growing list of Nigerians in the diaspora facing legal action abroad.
In a related development, PUNCH Metro reported that another Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, was recently sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Kingdom for the murder of a 56-year-old woman, Nila Patel, in Leicester.
According to Leicestershire Police, Ahanonu, 24, had been driving dangerously under the influence of cannabis before crashing his vehicle on June 24, 2025. He subsequently fled the scene and attacked the victim, who had just alighted from a bus.
He was found guilty by a jury at Leicester Crown Court and sentenced on Tuesday.
