ALEXANDRIA, VA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to two years and two months in prison for a years-long scheme to defraud financial institutions of at least $930,000 using stolen identities. A co-defendant was sentenced last week to three years in prison.
According to court documents, Akinsegun Oyekunle, 44, and previously convicted identity thief Rasheed Olalekan Williams, 51, impersonated identity theft victims, pretended to be the corporate representatives for legitimate manufacturing and trucking businesses, and then stole funds from those businesses.
Oyekunle created fictitious business registrations with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and obtained fictitious Internal Revenue Service identification numbers in the names of the companies. Williams then opened multiple fraudulent bank accounts in the names of the companies, and Williams and Oyekunle falsely purported to represent the companies they were impersonating.
On at least six separate occasions, Williams deposited stolen and forged checks that he and his co-conspirators illicitly obtained into the corporate bank accounts he opened. These checks were often intended for the real businesses the criminals were impersonating. Oyekunle and his co-conspirators then quickly drew down funds by making ATM withdrawals and transferring funds to other bank accounts controlled by the conspirators before the banks could catch on. Oyekunle, Williams, and their co-conspirators impersonated at least five identity theft victims, one of whom was deceased, including by obtaining victims’ personal identifying information, opening fictitious bank accounts in the victims’ names, and creating fraudulent identification documents in the victims’ names.
Investigators recovered an electronic fraud ledger containing victims’ information in Oyekunle’s possession, along with several debit cards in victims’ names. Williams was arrested separately in possession of a fake driver’s license and debit card in the name of a victim associated with the scheme.
Williams and Oyekunle pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, on April 9 and April 22, respectively. On August 7, Williams was sentenced to three years in prison. Oyekunle was sentenced today to two years and two months in prison.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth R. Simon Jr. provided substantial assistance to the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:25-cr-97 (Williams) and 1:25-cr-104 (Oyekunle).
