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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Greenbelt, Maryland – On May 21, 2018, Aldrin Fon Fomukong, a/k/a “Albanky,” a/k/a “A.L.,” age 24, of Greenbelt, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Andre Watson of Homeland Security Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge Brian Ebert of the United States Secret Service, Washington Field Office.
According to his plea agreement, between February 2016 and in or about July 2017, Fomukong and his co-conspirators gained access to email accounts associated with the victims and sent false wiring instructions, causing the victims’ financial institutions to wire millions of dollars into drop accounts set up by the defendants. Drop accounts were bank accounts opened or controlled by Fomukong and his co-conspirators that were used to receive fraudulently obtained money from victims. Fomukong then disbursed the money received from the victims’ bank accounts into the drop accounts by, among other transactions, using wires to transfer money to other accounts, by initiating account transfers to other accounts at the same bank, by withdrawing sums of money, by obtaining cashier’s checks, and by writing checks to other individuals or entities.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Fomukong and his co-conspirators stole or attempted to steal over $8.7 million from at least 11 victims. The following co-conspirators have also been charged:
Nkeng Amin, a/k/a “Rapone,” a/k/a “Arnold,” age 30, of Beltsville, Maryland; Carlson Cho, a/k/a “Uncle Tiga2,” age 23, of Braintree, Massachusetts; Izou Ere Digifa, a/k/a “Lzuo Digifa,” a/k/a “Mimi VA,” age 22, of Lynchburg, Virginia; Yanick Eyong, age 26, of Bowie, Maryland; and Ishmail Ganda, a/k/a “Banker TD,” age 31, of College Park, Maryland.
Fomukong, Amin, Cho, Digifa, and Eyong remain detained. Ganda is released under the supervision of pretrial services.
Fomukong faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for October 3, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Secret Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O’Connell Hayes, who is prosecuting the case.