Financial Crimes

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations special agents, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, executed a federal search warrant at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company June 25 as part of an active, ongoing criminal investigation.

Darlington Akporugo, a 47-year-old illegal alien from Nigeria, and his wife Jasmin Sood, a 37-year-old Houston resident, were sentenced June 24 to 188 months and 121 months in prison, respectively, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Akporugo pleaded guilty earlier this year on Feb. 28, while Sood pleaded guilty Dec. 17, 2024.

Mario Demarco, aka Marius Lupu aka David Adamec, 30, pleaded guilty in January to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He was sentenced June 3 to 33 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release. Additionally, the court ordered Demarco to pay restitution totaling $16,567.06.

Two family members with ties to South Texas have been charged with allegedly conspiring to materially support a Mexican cartel previously designated as a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit money laundering and related smuggling charges, following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DEA and the FBI with substantial assistance of IRS CI along with Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service and Texas Department of Public Safety.

Ralph Olarte, 55, of Glendale, the CFO of Sport LA Inc., was arrested May 27 at Los Angeles International Airport. He made his initial appearance and was arraigned May 28 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Fourteen defendants — including San Fernando Valley and Glendale residents — were arrested May 28, on two federal criminal complaints alleging they fraudulently obtained more than $25 million in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief funds and federally-guaranteed small business loans.

Betty Nora Anderson, 65, of Phoenix, previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Falsification of Records in a Bankruptcy Proceeding.

A federal indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Providence charges eight individuals for their roles in orchestrating and executing an elaborate transnational fraud and money laundering scheme targeting elderly citizens in the United States and Canada.

Leslie Kibula Bongajum, 34, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

The scheme involved suspects applying for store credit cards using stolen identities, then using those credit lines to purchase merchandise with no intention to pay them back. The scheme was carried out in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties.