A Central Texas man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $633,520 in restitution for money laundering in a case brought by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspections Service.
Okanlawon Azeez Egerongbe, also known as Tony Kunle, Alex Tohee, 37, of Round Rock, was sentenced on Aug. 26 by a federal judge; an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) news release said this week.
On May 18, 2021, Egerongbe pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to launder money, the release said.
“Let this sentence serve as a notice that HSI is committed to actively investigating individuals who prey on the vulnerable to perpetuate financial crimes,” Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Antonio, said in the release. “These types of crimes have devastating effects on the victims and our financial institutions. HSI will continue to aggressively pursue cyber criminals and financial fraudsters to the full extent of the law and will fight to recover and legally return victim funds to their rightful owner."
Scott Fix, inspector in charge of the Houston Division of the U.S. Postal Inspections Service (USPIS), also commented on the sentencing.
“Okanlawon Egerongbe devised multiple schemes to defraud innocent people and misused Postal Service products and the U.S. Mail to facilitate his crime,” Fix said in the release. “Postal Inspectors will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, including HSI Austin, to ensure anyone using the U.S. Mail for fraudulent financial gains are brought to justice.”
