A federal jury in Toledo, Ohio convicted Oluwafemi Michael Awoyemi, Aruan Drake, and Peter Reed on April 24 of participating in an international email hacking scheme that defrauded more than 1,000 victims out of approximately $215 million. The fraud spanned across 47 states and 19 countries.
The case is significant because it highlights the scale and complexity of business email compromise schemes that target individuals and organizations worldwide. Authorities say these scams can result in substantial financial losses for both businesses and individuals.
According to court documents, the group hacked into email accounts to monitor communications and learn about business practices before sending fraudulent payment requests disguised as legitimate transactions. Once payments were received from victims, the funds were laundered through a network of fake bank accounts and cash transfer systems. Approximately $50 million was funneled through cashier’s checks at a Chicago-area money service business operated by co-defendant Lon Goodman. Investigators seized assets including luxury watches worth up to $140,000 each, cryptocurrency, cash totaling nearly $1.2 million, and a residence in Georgia.
In total, 25 defendants have been convicted for their roles in this conspiracy. Victims included businesses from multiple cities in Ohio such as Norwalk and Akron as well as entities across many other U.S. states including New York and California. Internationally, targets ranged from Canada to Germany to Australia.
Sentencing for each defendant will be determined individually by the Court based on their criminal record, role in the offense, and other relevant factors unique to each case.
The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division with support from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Border Patrol Sandusky Bay Intelligence Unit.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio promotes community safety through outreach programs across northern Ohio according to its official website. The office is responsible for enforcing federal criminal laws related to national security and public corruption while defending civil suits against the United States according to its official website. It covers forty counties with offices located in Cleveland, Toledo, Akron and Youngstown according to its official website.
