PEOPLES GAZETTE
Baltimore, Maryland – As a result of a law enforcement operation on February 7, 2024, 10 defendants were arrested at locations throughout Maryland and three search warrants were executed related to an alleged money laundering conspiracy involving more than $9.5 million in proceeds from fraud schemes.
Law enforcement agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Mid-Atlantic El-Dorado Task Force, the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service participated in yesterday’s searches and arrests. Additional defendants are currently fugitives.
A federal grand jury in Maryland returned two indictments last year that were unsealed upon the arrests of the defendants. The following defendants were arrested in connection with these two cases.
Case Number: 23-CR-411 (MJM)
1. Adanegbe Gift Osemwenkhae, age 38, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland;
2. Emily Gil Arias, age 26, of Silver Spring, Maryland;
3. Fatoumata Boiro, age 30, of Largo, Maryland;
4. Lakeisha Parker, age 31, of Baltimore;
5. Martin Ogisi, age 35, of Severn, Maryland;
6. Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, age 30, of Silver Spring, Maryland; 7. Kevin Colon, age 33, of Curtis Bay, Maryland; and
8. Lorena Perez Herrera, age 27, of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Case Number: 23-CR-304 (MJM)
9. Yahye Sowe, a/k/a “Cash,” age 40, of Largo, Maryland; and
10. Areal El-Lovieta Harris, age 24, of Hanover, Maryland.
The defendants had initial appearances yesterday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Austin. Osemwenkhae, Ogisi, and Ndjouandjouaka consented to detention, Sowe and Boiro were detained pending detention hearings scheduled for February 9, 2024, and the remaining defendants were released on conditions under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.
The indictments were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Washington, D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Nicolas Evans of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General (“EPA OIG”); and Special Agent in Charge Ken DeChellis, of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service – Cyber Field Office (“DCIS”).
According to the indictments, the defendants allegedly created and used limited liability companies and other shell businesses to open bank accounts on which the shell entities were listed as the account holders.
Members of the conspiracy had signature authority for the bank accounts, at times using aliases or stolen identities. The defendants and their co-conspirators used the bank accounts to receive money obtained from the fraud victims.
The victims included government agencies, organizations, and companies, such as an environmental trust, an urban redevelopment program, a medical center, a transportation and logistics company, a school district…
