A Houston man and woman have pleaded guilty to their roles in an identity theft and business email compromise (BEC) scam, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Bolaji Okunnu, 31, admitted to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business between 2021 and 2022. He acknowledged moving funds through bank accounts he controlled as part of a BEC wire fraud scheme that targeted at least four victims. Okunnu received the proceeds from these fraudulent activities and then transmitted the funds to others for a fee.
The scam also involved the theft of checks from various companies.
Amber Bush, 30, created bank accounts used to funnel money from stolen checks to Destini Godfrey, who is charged in the same BEC wire fraud scheme. As part of her plea agreement, Bush admitted using another person's name and personal information without consent to open a bank account at JP Morgan Chase. She received deposits from a stolen check into this account and then issued four checks totaling $165,000 to Godfrey.
Authorities report that more than 45 people across several states have been charged in separate BEC schemes affecting numerous victims. Among those charged are Okunnu and eight others in the Southern District of Texas.
U.S. District Judge George Hanks is scheduled to sentence Okunnu and Bush on December 8. Okunnu faces up to five years in federal prison; Bush faces a mandatory two-year prison term. Both could be fined up to $250,000. They remain on bond until sentencing.
Godfrey, 31, of Houston, is currently considered a fugitive with an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Authorities ask anyone with information about his location to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000. He is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
The case was investigated by the FBI-Bryan Resident Agency and IRS Criminal Investigation with support from the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, Edison Police Department in New Jersey, other law enforcement agencies, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case.
