Nine individuals from Tennessee, Texas, and Missouri were indicted for their involvement in a large-scale money laundering operation that allegedly funneled over $20 million obtained from internet fraud schemes. The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee in Nashville, charges the defendants with conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
The DOJ revealed that the accused ran a complex network, using sham companies and front businesses to hide the fraud proceeds. They allegedly recruited “money mules” to help launder the funds, which were primarily generated through business email compromise schemes, a form of internet fraud targeting both U.S. and international businesses and individuals.
The defendants are accused of laundering significant sums of money since 2016, benefiting from fraudulent activities, which resulted in financial losses for businesses and individuals. Each of the nine defendants faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The individuals named in the indictment include Misha L. Cooper, 50; Robert A. Cooper, 66; Dazai S. Harris, 34; and Edward D. Peebles, 35, all from Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Samson A. Omoniyi, 43; Carlesha L. Perry, 36; Lauren O. Guidry, 32; and Caira Y. Osby, 44, from Houston; and Whitney D. Bardley, 30, from Florissant, Mo.
The coordinated arrests across Tennessee, Texas, and Missouri were supported by agents from multiple FBI offices and forensic accountants. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Carran Daughtrey and trial attorneys Kenneth Kaplan and Jasmin Salehi Fashami. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.