Pennsylvania Man Convicted of Conspiring to Launder Cybercrime Fraud Proceeds

Birmingham, Ala. – A jury has convicted a recidivist money launderer from Pennsylvania for his role in an international money laundering conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.

The jury returned a guilty verdict against Toochukwu Michael Okorie, 46, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, after three days of testimony and argument before U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler. Okorie was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Okorie had previously been convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2011.

“This conviction shows that juries see through money launderers’ attempts to disguise the movement of fraud proceeds as legitimate business transactions,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “My office will continue to prosecute those who knowingly help move fraud proceeds, especially those who’ve been previously convicted of fraud and money laundering.”

“Individuals who engage in this type of illegal activity continue to refine and develop new ways to launder ill-gotten proceeds and play a significant role in the circle of criminal activity which continues to plague our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples of the Birmingham Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, the public and private sector, and communities, to aggressively pursue those engaged in money laundering and hopes this sentence serves as a warning to others.” 

According to evidence presented at trial, from June 2017 through May 2019, Okorie helped launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud proceeds through two front companies: TMO Consulting LLC and Collective Intelligence Forensics LLC. During the conspiracy, Okorie and his co-conspirators would receive wire transfers from business email compromise, romance scam, and other frauds—including from victims in the Northern District of Alabama. Okorie and his co-conspirators would then move the fraud proceeds among bank accounts in an effort to disguise their origin and conceal their fraudulent nature. After paying themselves a commission, members of the conspiracy would ultimately wire the proceeds to bank accounts in Nigeria or use them to purchase automobiles that were shipped overseas.

U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco previously sentenced two other individuals involved in the money laundering conspiracy: On January 20, 2022, Paulinus Ebhodaghe, 40, of Clementon, New Jersey, was sentenced to 37 months in prison; and Ohimai Asikhia, 37, of Glassboro, New Jersey, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit money laundering is 10 years in in prison. 

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid are prosecuting the case. 

The U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force provided assistance during the investigation.

For more resources on cybercrime, visit www.ic3.gov.