Atlanta Man Sentenced to 5+ Years in Prison for Role in a Money Laundering Conspiracy

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced in federal court to 63 months in prison on his conviction of money laundering conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Akintayo Bolorunduro, age 36, of Atlanta, Georgia. Bolorunduro was also sentenced to pay restitution of $646,606.59 to victims of the conspiracy.

According to information presented to the court, from in and around January 2016 through in and around July 2017, Bolorunduro and others conspired to launder funds derived from business email compromise scams, in which fraudulent emails and faxes caused businesses to wire real estate settlement funds to bank accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy.

In particular, on April 29, 2016, Bolorunduro forwarded to another conspirator the bank account information of a Pittsburgh-area co-conspirator, which was used to induce a fraudulent wire transfer of $411,548.06 into the Pittsburgh-area conspirator’s bank account. Bolorunduro then directed the Pittsburgh-area conspirator to purchase and distribute cashier’s checks with the fraud proceeds, including three checks totaling $131,000 made payable to fake names and businesses and sent to Bolorunduro in Georgia. In a separate scam, which resulted in a fraudulent wire transfer of $235,058.53, Bolorunduro received a portion of the proceeds and, on April 18, 2016, deposited a bank check for $20,000 into a bank account he had previously opened using a false Nigerian passport.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Schwab stated that the sentence was appropriate due to the seriousness of the offense, the scope of the financial losses from the conspiracy, and Bolorunduro’s role in the criminal activity.

Assistant United States Attorneys Adam N. Hallowell and Charles A. Eberle prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Bolorunduro.