Cameroonian citizen believed to be living in Canada is wanted for elder fraud, money laundering abusing the asylum system

LOS ANGELES – An arrest warrant for a Cameroonian citizen involved in a complex money laundering and elder fraud conspiracy was issued April 14, by a federal judge pursuant to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation in close coordination with the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

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.

Bongajum is the fourth Cameroonian national to be charged in a complex money laundering conspiracy being perpetuated by members of a transnational criminal organization carrying out various elder fraud scams and laundering the money stolen from their victims.

Three additional Cameroonian nationals and conspirators of Bongajum were arrested in southern California Feb. 27. Sylas Nyuydzene Verdzekov, 38, of Chino Hills, and Lovert Che, 44, of Lomita, Mustapha Nkachiwouo Selly Yamie, 29, of Inglewood are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. At the time of their arrest, Bongajum was sought as a person of interest.

According to the criminal complaint, from at least November 2021 and continuing to the present, Bongajum, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che, and their co-conspirators, created fake identification documents of fictitious people, including passports and driver’s licenses. Using these fake documents, the defendants and their co-conspirators created at least 36 shell companies in California, which conducted no legitimate business and were created solely to advance their crimes.

Bongajum, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che, and their co-conspirators, also opened at least 145 bank accounts and at least 32 private mailboxes across southern California using fake identities and sham businesses.

In one scheme specifically targeting elderly victims using phone calls and email pop-ups, the defendants and their co-conspirators posed as law enforcement personnel or employees with well-known companies attempting to help the victims maintain the security of their accounts. They then allegedly fabricated claims of victim bank accounts or payment accounts being compromised and needing to be resolved quickly.

The defendants and their co-conspirators convinced the victims of their purported authority through pictures of fake badges and fake job titles, then requested the victims’ personally identifiable information and bank account information. Victims were told they needed to move money from their corrupted accounts quickly to ensure they kept all their money, and to move it into accounts that Bongajum, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che and their co-conspirators, fraudulently opened and controlled. Victims typically moved money via electronic bank transfers, money orders, cashier’s checks, or personal checks into these fraudulent bank accounts or mailboxes.

The defendants and their co-conspirators then deposited the ill-gotten gains into the bank accounts they controlled with the intent of disguising the ownership and control of the funds. Bongajum, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che and their co-conspirators then withdrew large cash amounts to use the stolen funds on personal expenses, including rental payments.

In a similar scam, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly posed as a real estate owner selling property. Using fake identification and credentials, the defendants deceived victims into believing that they were entering into a legitimate sale of the property and tricked the victims into wiring money or mailing a check to an account or mailbox the defendants and their co-conspirators controlled.

In total, Bongajum, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che and their co-conspirators, laundered at least $10 million in funds taken from at least 100 victims.

Authorities obtained information that Bongajum has fled to Canada after learning authorities had evidence of his involvement in the criminal conspiracy. They also learned that Bongajum falsified information on his application to seek asylum in the United States and was exploiting the United States immigration system to obtain a benefit he was not qualified for.

To date, four other Cameroonian nationals associated with this criminal organization have been arrested for immigration violations.

If convicted, Bongajum, Verdzekov, Yamie, and Che face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

Indictments contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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