TRENTON, N.J. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - New Jersey), published as received.
TRENTON, N.J. – An Edison, New Jersey man was sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment for laundering money obtained from a variety of internet-based scams, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner sentenced Kenny Osas Okuonghae, 38, of Edison, NJ to 51 months of incarceration yesterday. Judge Castner also ordered 3 years of supervised release and $1,275,190 in restitution. Okuonghae previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner on April 29, 2025, to Count One of an Indictment charging him with conspiring to commit money laundering.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From approximately 2019 through approximately December 2023, Okuonghae laundered money that was obtained from a variety of internet-related scams, including property rental scams, romance scams, and a “pig butchering” scam. “Pig butchering” refers to an internet scheme where a romance scam victim develops what the victim perceives to be a romantic relationship online with the perpetrator. The perpetrator emotionally “fattens” the victim up before enticing the victim to invest in a fake scheme and then, metaphorically, “slaughters” the victim by taking the victim’s money. Okuonghae opened up several different bank accounts across at least seven different banks and permitted the proceeds of criminal activity to be deposited into and transferred out of these accounts.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation leading to the sentence.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Loraine Gauli-Rufo, Cedar Grove, New Jersey.
