INDIANAPOLIS—Martins Tochukwu Chidiobi, 34, and Lawrence Onyesonwu, 38, of Muncie, have each been sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release and payment of a $5,000 fine, after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft and making false statements to a financial institution.
According to court documents, between on or about 2015 and their arrest date in January 2019, Chidiobi and Onyesonwu worked as Correctional Officers at the New Castle Correctional Facility, a privately managed prison within the Indiana Department of Corrections. During that time, Chidiobi and Onyesonwu stole at least five inmates’ personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers. The defendants used the stolen identities of the victim inmates to open at least nine accounts at various Indiana banks using fraudulent passports. The fraudulent passports were purportedly issued by Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana, and included pictures of the defendants, but the names and other information of the identity theft victims.
The accounts opened by the defendants with the stolen identities were then used to receive the proceeds of broader fraud schemes. A total of at least $331,282 was deposited into the defendants’ fraudulent bank accounts from at least 11 sources. Investigators worked to identify and contact individuals who deposited funds into fraudulent accounts. Of the eleven depositors able to be identified, each was themselves the victim of a “romance scam” or other fraud scheme. Further investigation revealed that the defendants also received deposits of apparent fraud proceeds into their own personal bank accounts.
The vast majority of the over $331,282 in apparent fraud proceeds received by the defendants was withdrawn as cash. A large portion of the money was transferred into Nigerian bank accounts.
“It is simply reprehensible for correctional officers to exploit their positions to steal inmates’ identities and further the financial exploitation of scam victims,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Transnational fraud schemes have lasting repercussions for victims all over the country, and everyone who commits these crimes must be held accountable. The federal prison sentences imposed here should serve as a warning that the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to pursuing financial criminals and holding them accountable.”
“This sentence highlights the FBI’s resolve to investigate and prosecute those who exploit their authority for personal gain. The men and women of the FBI are committed to showing respect for the dignity of all those we protect including victims who are incarcerated,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “I am extremely proud of the work we do to protect the rights of all Americans.”
The FBI investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany J. Preston and Corbin D. Houston, who prosecuted this case.
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