More indicted in nationwide business email compromise scheme

HOUSTON - A total of seven people in multiple states have been charged in a superseding indictment related to a large business email compromise (BEC) scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Authorities have now arrested Houston resident Amber Bush, 29. She is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.

The three-count superseding indictment also charges Houston residents Bolaji Okunnu, 30, and Philip Ogbeide Jr., 34, along with Ayodeji Okunnu, 25, Austin; Victor Rubio Jr., 27, and Bougar Robert Linares Soto, 42, both of Los Angeles, California.

Another Houston resident - Destini Godfrey, 30 - is considered a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000.

All are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

The BEC scheme involved deceiving victims into sending money to others and causing millions in losses, according to the charges.

Conspirators allegedly posed as legitimate businesses and fraudulently diverted money from victim bank accounts into accounts they controlled. According to the allegations, they gained access to business email accounts and spoofed email addresses to deceive victims into believing they were making legitimate payments.

The superseding indictment indicates fraudulently diverted payments from numerous victims throughout the United States, including a financial services company from Oregon, a township in New Jersey, a demolition company in Texas, a healthcare liability insurance company in Georgia and a nutrition products manufacturer outside Texas.

Conspirators allegedly used email accounts to request payment for services to be sent to new bank accounts that did not belong to the vendor, according to the charges.

They allegedly deceived victims into wiring millions to fraudulent bank accounts the conspirators opened instead of actually paying the vendor. The charges further allege conspirators laundered the funds in a manner designed to conceal the source, ownership and control of the funds by quickly transferring the money from the receiving account to other bank accounts they controlled.

They then withdrew the fraud proceeds incrementally in cash, according to the charges.

If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges as well as five years for the money laundering and illegal money transmitting charge. Each charge carries a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

The FBI-Bryan Resident Agency and IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation with valuable assistance from the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office and the Edison Police Department in New Jersey and other law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorney's Offices throughout the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and James Hu are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.