US court sentences alleged Allen Onyema fraud conspirator to three years probation

A US court on Friday sentenced a confessed conspirator in the alleged $20 million fraud allegedly organized by Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema to three years probation.

The court also fined Ebony Mayfiled $4,000, who in June pleaded guilty to the charge of signing and submitting false documents to facilitate the alleged fraud.

The US government accused her of signing and submitting the fabricated documents between 2016 and 2018, to help Mr. Onyema, owner of Air Peace, a major Nigerian commercial airline, transfer $20 million from Nigeria as part of a money laundering scheme.

She was indicted in 2019 and initially pleaded "not guilty" to all eight counts in District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta.

But she pleaded guilty to one of the charges in June, after reaching a plea deal that saw the US government drop the remaining seven charges against her.

The law under which she was charged provided for a maximum prison term of five years for the offense to which she had pleaded guilty.

Following his guilty plea, his lawyer requested a sentence modification on October 13, arguing to be given a suspended sentence or what is called supervised release, instead of a sentence of imprisonment.

PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier on Friday that the US government, in its response, had agreed to a lower sentence limit which is expected to include house arrest for six months.

During sentencing on Friday, the judge, Mr. Ross, after discussing the pre-sentence report with the parties' lawyers and listening briefly to Ms. Mayfield, imposed on her "a total of THREE (3) YEARS of probation" . .

The judge also imposed "a fine of $4,000 (interest waived); special assessment of $100; and additional demands."

The judge therefore granted her limited appeal rights and noted that she was ready to be released on bail.

The court's decision is a concession to the defendant's request for a probationary sentence or what his attorney called parole.

Defence attorney Manubir Arora said that "imprisonment is not the only form of punishment" and stressed that "probation alone is a viable alternative form of punishment".

Under the probationary sentence, Ms. Mayfield's lawyers said, her movements would be restricted and her associations would be regulated.

She would also be subject to random searches of her person and premises and subject to other special conditions such as house arrest and intermittent confinement.

A probation officer would also be appointed to supervise her during the three-year period.

"In Ms. Mayfield's case, probation serves all sentencing purposes, even though the guidelines may require imprisonment," her attorney wrote.

Hoping to "put this unfortunate string of choices behind her", she confessed that Mr. Onyema paid her a total of $20,000 for her role in the scheme between 2016 and 2018.

She also said her involvement in the alleged crime brought shame on her family.

Again, Mr. Onyema denied any wrongdoing in relation to Friday's allegations.

Mr. Onyema and another Air Peace official, Ejiroghene Eghagha, claimed their innocence in a press release from their lawyers.

A.O. Law firm Alegeh & Co has remained silent on the 36 fraud and money laundering charges still pending against Mr. Onyema and his co-accused in the same court where Ms. Mayfield was prosecuted.

But they argued in their press release that the fact that Ms. Mayfield received no jail time...