After a three-year investigation involving five US government agencies, Chief Allen Onyema, CEO of Air Peace, has been acquitted of business fraud charges by the District Court in Atlanta, Georgia. The court found no evidence of loss to any bank in the indictment suit filed by the Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
Instead, the court ordered a probation and $4000 fine against Ebony Mayfield, a former administrative staff of Springfield Aviation Company Inc., who pleaded guilty to one count in the indictment. Mayfield had limited knowledge of Letter of Credit Transactions and reportedly realized the futility of explaining the Letters of Credit used to purchase aircraft for Air Peace Limited in a jury trial.
According to Augustine Alegeh & Co., counsel to Air Peace, Mayfield’s probation is the lowest possible sentence under American Federal Law. The law firm clarified that there were false press stories in Nigeria about the indictment, emphasizing that Air Peace never took loans or credit from any American bank, and Mayfield was not paid $20,000 to commit fraud.
This verdict brings closure to the lengthy investigation and clears Chief Allen Onyema’s name.
