U.S Court clears Air Peace CEO, Allen Onyema of $20m fraud charges

A U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Georgia, has cleared Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, of all charges related to an alleged $20 million bank fraud brought against him by the U.S. government.

The allegations stemmed from accusations that Onyema moved suspicious funds from Nigeria to American bank accounts between 2017 and 2018, purportedly disguised as payments for aircraft purchases.

Onyema, who consistently maintained his innocence, was previously declared wanted in the U.S. following the 2019 charges, which included 35 counts of bank fraud and money laundering.

The case also implicated the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, who was similarly declared wanted.

After years of investigation involving multiple American government agencies, the court ruled that no bank suffered any losses in the case.

However, a former staff member of Springfield Aviation Company Inc., Ebony Mayfield, was sentenced to probation and fined $4,000 for her role in the case after pleading guilty to one count in the indictment.

According to a statement from Onyema’s legal team, Augustine Alegeh & Co., Mayfield received the lowest possible sentence under U.S. law. She was penalized after failing to explain several Letters of Credit used for purchasing aircraft for Air Peace in a jury trial.

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“Our clients never took loans or credit from any American Bank and Mayfield was never paid the sum of $20,000 at any time to commit any fraud, as it is being peddled in some quarters.

“There was no loss of money or any damage whatsoever to any third party. The American government admitted in Court that no bank suffered any financial loss in the matter.

“Mayfield, like other Springfield Aviation Company Inc. staff, was only paid her bi-weekly salary and/or allowances,” it clarified.

“Our clients maintain their innocence in the matter and state that all steps taken in respect of the Letters of Credit were taken in good faith and with legitimate funds.

“All the aircraft involved were brought into Nigeria and utilised in the operations of Air Peace Limited. There was no victim. There was no loss of funds to any person and there was no criminal intent whatsoever.

“Our client’s position has been reviewed by various Law Enforcement Agencies in Nigeria and no evidence of criminality has been established against them. Our Clients remain resolute in the assertion of their innocence,” the firm declared.