ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison after prosecutors said he helped move more than $800,000 through bank accounts tied to an international fraud scheme.
Federal prosecutors said 41-year-old Joseph Elegele Jr. was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The court also ordered him to forfeit $801,559 tied to the scheme.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Elegele opened business bank accounts in Central Florida that were used to receive fraudulent wire transfers from businesses in the United States and the Bahamas.
Investigators said other members of the scheme, based overseas, used business email compromise scams and online communications to trick companies into sending money to accounts controlled by Elegele.
Once the money arrived, prosecutors said Elegele quickly withdrew large amounts of cash or purchased cashier’s checks to move and hide the proceeds.
Authorities said he kept part of the money and passed the rest to other people involved in the conspiracy.
The activity took place between 2017 and 2023, according to court records.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
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