Two former correctional officers from Muncie, Indiana, Martins Tochukwu Chidiobi, 34, and Lawrence Onyesonwu, 38, have been sentenced to serve three years in federal prison. Their crime: utilizing inmates' stolen identities to perpetrate an international fraud scheme. Following their incarceration, they are to be subjected to a supervised release lasting two years and must also pay a fine amounting to $5,000 each. These sentences come after both men entered a plea of guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft and making false statements to a financial institution.
Delving into the court documents, it is revealed that between 2015 and their arrest in January 2019, Chidiobi and Onyesonwu, who were employed at New Castle Correctional Facility, a prison managed by the Indiana Department of Corrections, brazenly misappropriated the personal information of at least five inmates. Using this stolen data which included names, dates of birth, and social security numbers, these men went on to audaciously open bank accounts at various Indiana banking institutions. Their methodology included using fraudulent passports claimed to be from Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana, depicting images of the defendants themselves but bearing the victims' details. This act of identity theft was then leveraged to funnel the proceeds from larger-scale fraud ventures into these illegitimately established bank accounts.
Investigators found that these accounts received at least $331,282 from various sources, all victims of different fraud schemes, including "romance scams." The defendants quickly withdrew most of these funds in cash. A large portion of the money was transferred to Nigerian bank accounts. This international scheme caused both financial and emotional distress to its victims, affecting both those incarcerated and innocent individuals who were tricked into giving up their money.
United States Attorney Zachary A. Myers, in a statement, condemned the former officers' actions as simply reprehensible, emphasizing the dire need to hold those who commit such crimes accountable. "Transnational fraud schemes have lasting repercussions for victims all over the country, and everyone who commits these crimes must be held accountable. The federal prison sentences imposed here should serve as a warning that the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to pursuing financial criminals and holding them accountable," Myers said, and the sentences imposed are meant to signal a warning against such criminal enterprises. The FBI has expressed a stern commitment to both investigate and prosecute individuals who egregiously exploit their positions for personal gain, as stated by FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. "I am extremely proud of the work we do to protect the rights of all Americans," Stapleton added in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The FBI was the prime investigator of this case, leading to the sentencing handed down by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany J. Preston and Corbin D. Houston were acknowledged by U.S. Attorney Myers for their role in prosecuting the case, noting their contributions towards achieving these convictions.
