A Maryland woman was sentenced on Mar. 10 to 30 months in federal prison for her role in a money laundering scheme involving funds stolen from various fraud operations, according to U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address financial crimes that target victims through romance scams, elder-fraud schemes, and business-email compromises. These types of crimes often result in significant financial losses and can be difficult to investigate due to the use of shell companies and false identities.
Tanoa Tanoh, 35, of Gaithersburg, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. She admitted to working with others to hide the origins of funds obtained through fraudulent means from at least 27 victims across Maryland and other states between January 2019 and May 2021. According to court documents, Tanoh laundered or attempted to launder at least $3.8 million by creating fake businesses such as "Hoch Investments LLC" and "Easy Supplies LLC," using aliases and false identification documents.
After establishing these shell companies with the State of Maryland, Tanoh opened bank accounts under their names solely for the purpose of moving stolen funds. Her co-conspirators used these accounts to receive money from scam victims before transferring it further, making it harder for authorities and victims to trace or recover the proceeds. Individuals involved in such schemes typically receive a commission for their role in laundering the money.
Two co-conspirators, Olumide Obidare and Steven Oseghale—both Nigerian nationals—were previously sentenced in Minnesota for related wire fraud offenses and aggravated identity theft. Another alleged participant, Emmanuel Okereke, is awaiting trial in Ohio.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended both FBI Baltimore and Minneapolis Field Offices for their investigative work on this case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darren S. Gardner and Elizabeth Wright for prosecuting it.
