BOSTON - A Lynn man was arrested and charged in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in connection with money laundering and visa fraud.
Fortune Aikorogie, a/k/a Imuetinyan Aikorogie, a/k/a Fortune Aikoriogie, a/k/a Imuetinyan Aikoriogie, 32, was charged with one count of making a false statement to a bank, five counts of money laundering, and one count of visa and passport fraud. He appeared in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, and was detained pending a detention hearing.
According to the indictment, Aikorogie falsely represented himself to be someone else when he opened a checking account at TD Bank in Dracut on Sept. 28, 2016. Between Oct. 5 and Dec. 15, 2016, Aikorogie committed money laundering when two fraud victims in Texas wired a total of $75,500 into the TD Bank account. On Dec. 21, 2016, Aikorogie possessed a Zimbabwean passport and a U.S. visa, both in the same name he used to open the bank account, which he knew to be counterfeit.
The charging statute for making a false statement to a bank provides for a sentence of no greater than 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charging statute for money laundering provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000. The charging statute for visa/passport fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Lawrence Police Chief Roy P. Vasque made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
