A Maryland man has been sentenced to over two years in prison for participating in a scheme that defrauded financial institutions of at least $930,000 using stolen identities. His co-defendant received a three-year prison sentence last week.
Court documents state that Akinsegun Oyekunle, 44, and Rasheed Olalekan Williams, 51, impersonated victims of identity theft and posed as corporate representatives for legitimate manufacturing and trucking businesses. They then stole funds from these companies.
Oyekunle registered fake businesses with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and obtained fraudulent Internal Revenue Service identification numbers in the names of these companies. Williams opened multiple bank accounts under the same business names. Both men falsely claimed to represent the companies they were impersonating.
Williams deposited forged and stolen checks into the fraudulent corporate bank accounts on at least six occasions. These checks were meant for the actual businesses being impersonated. The conspirators quickly withdrew money through ATMs or transferred funds to other accounts they controlled before banks could detect the fraud. The group impersonated at least five identity theft victims—including one deceased individual—by acquiring personal information, opening fictitious bank accounts, and creating fake identification documents.
Investigators found an electronic fraud ledger containing victims’ information among Oyekunle’s possessions along with several debit cards issued in victims’ names. Williams was arrested separately with a fake driver’s license and debit card belonging to a victim linked to the scheme.
Both Williams and Oyekunle pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud earlier this year; Williams on April 9 and Oyekunle on April 22. On August 7, Williams was sentenced to three years in prison while Oyekunle received two years and two months today.
“Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles.”
“Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth R. Simon Jr. provided substantial assistance to the prosecution.”
Further details about this case can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents are available through both the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and PACER by searching Case Nos. 1:25-cr-97 (Williams) and 1:25-cr-104 (Oyekunle).
