of more than $100,000 faced a federal judge last Friday, April
21, after being arrested on April 10 by agents from the
Department of Homeland Security and charged on four federal
criminal charges.
Opeyemi Abdulahi Orekan, resident of Rhode Island was
involved in an organized fraud ring that used fake passports
from Nigeria and Ghana and fraudulent identities to defraud a
number of banks out of tens of thousands of dollars. The
federal government is charging him with bank fraud, passport
fraud, identity theft and access device fraud.
Investigators say Orekan used nine different identities,
including a number of passports from Nigeria, South Africa
and Ghana, to open bank accounts at a number of bank
branches including Bank of America, Webster Bank and
Santander to deposit counterfeit checks and then withdraw
bank funds. Counterfeit checks from NRG Residential Solar
Solutions, the Viking Corporation and Bosch were deposited
into accounts, according to the affidavit.
Orekan would then allegedly send the funds to an individual
in Nigeria. The transactions occurred at a number of bank
branches in Johnston, Lincoln, Pawtucket, Providence and
Warwick. Bank America reported nearly $37,000 in losses
from at least one of the accounts and another $26,000 from
another one of Orekan’s accounts. Santander reported a near
$20,000 loss in connection with Orekan.
He also allegedly used fake identities to open accounts at TD
Bank, Wells Fargo and Chase Bank.
"Orekan has been engaged in lengthy pattern of fraud
that has been perpetuated across at least 10 different
financial institutions," says Keith Holleran, a special
agent with the Dept. of Homeland Security, Homeland
Security Investigations (HSI), in an affidavit filed in
U.S. District Court in Providence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Vilker told the court that
investigators have gathered a number of records and
evidence including passports that were found in a ceiling
crawl space which, he said, has made their case stronger. A
bag filled with passports was also found in an old, rolled-up
carpet found by the property manager of one of the
apartments where Orekan resided. That's when the property
manager contacted the FBI.
Forensic tests of the passports determined that two Republic
of Nigeria passports were altered and two Republic of Ghana
passports were counterfeit. Four additional US admission
stamps, machine readable visas adn two Ghana drivers
licenses were also tested and determined to be counterfeit.
"He has a contact in Africa that is sending him these
passports," Vilker told Magistrate Judge Patricia
Sullivan during a hearing on Friday, as two of Orekan’s
supporters sat behind him. “ICE tells me he can
absolutely flee the country.”
Attorney John F. Cicilline, who is representing Orekan (who is
currently being detained), asked Magistrate Judge Patricia
Sullivan to release Orekan as has ties to a number of family
members in Rhode Island and is not a flight risk. He asked
the judge to possibly release Orekan with conditions such as
electronic monitoring.
The judge denied Cicilline’s request saying electronic
monitoring isn’t a full proof tool adding that the evidence
against Orekan is strong and that the investigation shows it’s
become even stronger.
“The defendant has significant ties to a different
country…the affidavit mentions a substantial amount
of passports that have passed muster at a number of
banks…wiring of tens of thousands to the defendant’s
mother in Nigeria,” Sullivan said.
“Finally, and very significant, the defendant had
contact with law enforcement in November 2016, was
released and continued the behavior and then
charged in January 2017, released and again
continued the behavior,” Sullivan added.
"Now facing federal charges knitting together what is
now unlike instances in November and January, a very
substantial charge exposing him to a period of
incarceration and risk of deportation."
Source: NBC News
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