Okechukwu Josiah Odunna, 60, Abuja, Nigeria made his initial appearance in a federal court in Miami, where he is accused of playing a key role in a fraud scheme in which he fraudulently obtained loans in connection with the fraudulent purchases of approximately 20 residential properties in Florida. This plot resulted in the loss of about $8 million to U.S. financial institutions, the Justice Department announced today.
According to the indictment, between December 2005 to approximately May 2008, Odunna and his co-conspirators devised a scheme to defraud and to obtain money by making false representations and material omissions to U.S. banking institutions. As part of the scheme, Odunna and his co-conspirators would, among other things: submit false and fraudulent loan applications and documents to financial institutions relating to purchases of residential properties, resulting in lenders loaning out more money than they otherwise would. These false statements to the lenders included false names of the persons who would be borrowing the money to purchase the properties, falsely inflated sale prices that were much higher than the true prices and false details regarding the receipt and disbursement of funds in connection with the purchases of the properties.
Odunna, who was a licensed attorney at the time, was also one of the directors of Direct Title and Escrow Services, Inc. (DTES). Odunna was the settlement agent in approximately 20 fraudulent closings of property purchases. To disguise the fraud, Odunna and his co-conspirators provided sellers and lenders with two different settlement statements, which included false information and omitted information regarding the sale price, the identity of the purchaser, and the receipt and the disbursement of funds.
Odunna faces charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Odunna was arrested on September 24, 2024, by Nigerian authorities pursuant to a U.S. extradition request. Nigerian authorities extradited Odunna to the Southern District of Florida on March 6, after he waived extradition. He has remained incarcerated since his arrest. Odunna is scheduled to appear at his pretrial detention and arraignment hearings on March 11 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman.
Odunna’s co-conspirators, charged in the same indictment, included Karl Oreste, Marie Lucie Tondreau and Kelly Augustin. Oreste pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 100 months in prison. Tondreau, who was the former Mayor of North Miami, was convicted at trial. She was sentenced to 65 months in prison. Augustin remains a fugitive.
If convicted, Odunna faces up to 30 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution charge and up to 30 years in prison on the wire fraud affecting a financial institution charge. Each count also carries the possibility of a fine and supervised release upon completion of any prison sentence. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Commissioner Russell C. Weigel, III, of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), made the announcement.
The FBI Miami and OFR are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Odunna. The United States also thanks the FBI International Operations Division, Africa Unit Legal Attaché Office, Abuja, Nigeria, Ministry of Justice, Central Authority Unit, Nigeria, and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria for their valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 14-cr-20349.
