The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that Ayobami Omoniyi, a 26-year-old Nigerian citizen, will be deported to Nigeria after serving a 32-month federal prison sentence for his involvement in a $202,000 money laundering syndicate.
The sentencing was delivered on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen in Houston, Texas.
Omoniyi, who resided in the U.S. on a Green Card, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business that laundered proceeds from Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams.
Investigations revealed that in 2021, Omoniyi and his co-conspirators targeted various entities, including a fishing company in Australia, using "spoofed" emails to trick victims into redirecting legitimate payments to accounts under their control.
“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 DOJ statement noted.
In addition to his 32-month prison term, Omoniyi has been ordered to pay $202,273.80 in restitution to his victims.
Omoniyi admitted to moving fraud proceeds through multiple bank accounts for a fee, fully aware that the funds were the result of illicit activity.
Because he is not a U.S. citizen, federal authorities confirmed he would be removed from the country immediately upon the completion of his sentence.
This case follows a string of recent high-profile legal actions against Nigerians abroad, including the life sentence handed to Chukwuemeka Ahanonu in the UK for murder, underscoring a period of heightened international scrutiny on transnational crimes.
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