A 45-year-old Bladensburg man with a rap sheet spanning dozens of prior arrests was sentenced to nine years in federal prison today for his role in a massive, multimillion-dollar money laundering network.
U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox handed down the sentence to Bright Boateng, who must also serve three years of supervised release once he is freed. In addition to the prison time, the court ordered Boateng to pay $1,247,950 in restitution and forfeit $431,750 in illegal gains. Boateng had previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charges on February 6, 2026, admitting that he was directly responsible for laundering nearly $1.5 million.
Federal prosecutors revealed that between 2020 and November 2023, Boateng teamed up with a large group of co-conspirators to hide and clean up the profits from a massive wire fraud scheme involving government-backed Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). The ring didn’t just target federal funds—their victims included a wide array of institutions, such as an environmental trust, an urban redevelopment program, a medical center, a logistics company, a local school district, a college, and a county government.
To pull off the scam, Boateng and his partners set up fake limited liability companies to act as shell entities, which they used to open bank accounts and move the stolen cash. Investigators found that Boateng personally drew money from at least seven different pandemic relief loans. He also stole another person’s identity to open personal and business bank accounts and went as far as using a fake Maryland driver’s license that featured his own photograph paired with someone else’s personal information.
Court records highlight that Boateng was no stranger to the legal system, carrying an extensive criminal history that includes more than 40 arrests and over 20 convictions for offenses ranging from theft and fraud to drug violations and violence.
The case against Boateng is part of a much broader federal crackdown. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has charged 14 defendants in connection with this specific money laundering ring. Out of those 14, 13 have already entered guilty pleas. The lone exception is 28-year-old Faizou Gnora, formerly of Alexandria, Virginia, who currently remains a fugitive.
Before Boateng’s sentencing today, the District Court handed down prison terms and heavy financial penalties to nine other members of the conspiracy:
- Victor Killen, 33, received 63 months in prison, a $3 million forfeiture, and owed $7,070,656.46 in restitution.
- Gedeon Agbeyome, 31, was sentenced to 72 months in prison, a $2.8 million forfeiture, and ordered to pay $2,938,424.65 in restitution.
- Lawrence Ogunsanwo, 33, received 40 months in prison and must pay $5,648,816.23 in restitution.
- Lakeisha Parker, 33, was handed a 36-month sentence and ordered to pay $8,306,930.95 in restitution.
- Martin Ogisi, 37, received 33 months in prison and must pay $11,077,044.17 in restitution.
- Kevin Colon, 34, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay $2,515,159.63 in restitution.
- Areal Harris, 27, received a 24-month sentence and owed $3,159,482.83 in restitution.
- Lorena Perez Herrera, 29, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,473,125.58 in restitution.
- Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, 31, received 24 months in prison and must pay $733,941.48 in restitution.
The multi-agency investigation was led by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Akil Baldwin of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Maryland, Kareem A. Carter of the IRS Criminal Investigation unit in Washington, D.C., and George Golliday from the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General.
The joint operation fell under the umbrella of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud—a whole-of-government effort targeting federal benefit programs led by Vice President J.D. Vance—and the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Baltimore.
The HSTF is an interagency partnership created by Executive Order 14159 that brings together resources from local, state, and federal agencies—including the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, and local Maryland police departments—to prosecute transnational crime, violent gangs, and human trafficking networks.
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