PROVIDENCE – Two Nigerian nationals have been deported and two others face deportation upon release from prison after they admitted to participating in a large-scale bank fraud and counterfeit passport scheme to swindle more than $1.2 million from banks in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, authorities said.
Olugboyega A. Fasanya, 37, of Woonsocket, and Opeyemi A. Orekan, 28, of North Providence, have been deported, according to U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Aaron L. Weisman’s office.
Babajide O. Awogbami, 35, who has been detained in federal custody since April 2017, and Anthony C. Ezike, 37, of Pawtucket, will undergo deportation proceedings after they complete 13-month federal prison sentences recently handed down by Judge William E. Smith in U.S. District Court in Providence, Weisman’s office said.
The four men admitted to acquiring and altering lawfully passed checks between commercial entities. The checks were altered and deposited into bank accounts opened using aliases for identification with counterfeit passports from Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. Funds were quickly removed from the accounts before the fraud could be detected by the banks, Weisman’s office said.
The fraudulent checks and wires totaled nearly $1.3 million, resulting in the four men obtaining about $487,000 through withdrawals and debit purchases before the scheme was uncovered, Weisman’s office said.
In addition to prison sentences, the four were ordered to pay restitution to the banks they harmed. Awogbami was ordered to pay $488,745; Fasanya was ordered to pay $379,362; Ezike was ordered to pay $228,730; and Orekan was ordered to pay $101,286.
The case was handled by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, with help from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Woonsocket, Pawtucket and Warwick police departments.
Scott Blake is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Blake@PBN.com.
