Arrest warrants have been issued in the United States for Allen Onyema, chairman and CEO of Air Peace, and his co-accused, following their indictment for allegedly obstructing justice by submitting false documents.
This development stems from a federal investigation that originally led to 35 charges of bank fraud and money laundering in 2019.
Court documents from October 8 reveal that Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, authorized the arrest warrants for Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s chief of administration and finance.
Eghagha is also implicated in the alleged obstruction of justice, as well as in previous charges of bank fraud.
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The new indictment, issued by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, includes a forfeiture provision of $14.1 million if convicted.
The forfeiture includes $4 million seized from a JP Morgan Chase account, $4.5 million from a Bank of Montreal account in the name of Springfield Aviation, and $5.6 million from another account at Bank of Montreal in the name of Bluestream Aero Services.
The indictment accuses Onyema of using Air Peace as a front to commit banking fraud in the United States. Onyema and Eghagha allegedly attempted to derail the federal investigation through further fraudulent actions.
Air Peace has responded, maintaining that Onyema and Eghagha are innocent. According to statements reported by This Day Live and The Heritage Times, the airline emphasized that the case is ongoing and both defendants are still presumed innocent. The company’s legal team is working to ensure justice and exoneration.
The original charges stem from accusations that, between 2010 and 2018, Onyema transferred $44.9 million into his Atlanta bank accounts from foreign sources.
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In 2016, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly used fraudulent export letters of credit to transfer more than $20 million into Onyema’s accounts, purportedly for the purchase of five Boeing 737s.
However, the company that supposedly sold the planes, Springfield Aviation, was owned by Onyema and never had any aircraft.
Fake documents, including purchase agreements and appraisals, were allegedly used to support the scheme, with Eghagha accused of directing the creation and submission of these false documents.
In 2022, Ebony Mayfield, a former employee of Springfield Aviation, was sentenced to probation and a fine for submitting fake documents related to the Air Peace transaction.
As part of the cover-up, after learning of the U.S. investigation in 2019, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly had a Springfield Aviation manager sign an undated contract, which was later submitted with a backdated signature in an attempt to halt the investigation.
Onyema and Eghagha now face an expanded set of charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice. The case involves multiple U.S. agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS, and Homeland Security Investigations.
In unrelated developments, Onyema had announced plans in April 2024 for Air Peace to begin flights to New York and Houston, but the airline has not yet applied for the necessary U.S. permits, despite Nigerian government approval for the New York route in February 2024.