Two men have been indicted in a scheme to defraud Fresno County, with allegations that they and their collaborators hacked an email account and submitted fraudulent invoices that rerouted over $1.5 million into a bank account they controlled. The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that Jafaar September Nyangoro, 52, of Franklin, Tennessee, and Peter Bah Acha, 45, from Berlin, Germany, face charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The operation involved impersonating the finance director of a Fresno nonprofit and misleading county officials to make payments to the illicit account.
The U.S. Attorney's Office released court documents detailing how, between September 24, 2020, and October 13, 2020, several Automated Clearing House transactions were made to Nyangoro's bank account. Documents revealed that, after some of these transactions were reversed by the bank for suspected fraud, Nyangoro sent a panicked WhatsApp message to his accomplice: "We’re in deep s***. The last 3 transactions from County of Fresno have been reversed. Please call me ASAP!"
The fraudulent activity came to light following an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Assistant U.S. Attorney, David L. Gappa, is currently prosecuting a case. Nyangoro was ordered detained by a magistrate judge on Wednesday, and is set to appear in court in Fresno at a yet-to-be-determined date, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
While the potential penalty for the crimes could result in up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 per count, sentencing will ultimately be at the discretion of the court. This will take into account statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The release by the U.S. Attorney's Office emphasizes that the charges against Nyangoro and Acha are merely allegations at present. They remain presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
