May 12, 2009
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New York Busts Major CC Theft Operation, Pt.4
Who Did It?The indictment accuses Wole Shola Ogunwen as the ring leader of the extraordinary scheme to conduct credit card fraud. His group called the Shola Enterprise provided hundreds of credit card accounts to several of his cell leaders which included Ayanwale Ganiyu, Anthony O. Johnson, Kola Falidaya Molake, Adebayo A. Animashaun, and Charles Femi Adoyele. Shola’s top aid, Jones Omoyemi Osinowo, managed local cells and organized the compromising system of taking over the accounts. Account Preparers were Idaya Molake, Hassan O. Anibaba, Abiodun A. Shotonwa, Anthony O. Johnson, Abimbola Lana, and Samuel A. Adeoba. Accused Steven Trevor Jackson is charged as the Document Manufacturer who produced and sold the counterfeit credit cards and identification documents to Shola. John Doe (a.k.a. Abe), Ike Nwabuoke, and Abidemi Olajide are the alleged Foot Soldiers who physically accessed the funds from the banks or conducted fraudulent charge transactions.
Further, the indictment indicates that the Foot Soldiers typically used credit cards that did not allow cash advances to purchase high ticket items like expensive electronics and then sold them to Ronan Hassoun, owner and operator of Five Brothers Audio and Video Electronics in Brooklyn. The cash that was illegally accessed from the accounts was eventually turned over to Wole Shola Ogunwen. According to District Attorney Brown, the twenty-six defendants charged in the Shola Enterprise Corruption indictment have also been charged in a second 309 count indictment with ten additional defendants for identity theft as well. Furthermore, three of the cell leaders of the Shola Enterprise were also charged in a third indictment for operating two additional identity theft and counterfeit credit card operations known as the Femi Criminal Enterprise and the Ganiyu/Razack Criminal Enterprise. Those defendants include Charles Femi Adoyele, Ayanwale Ganiyu and Abdul Razack Yusuf.
District Attorney Brown also stated that as a result of the two year investigation, 17 court authorized search warrants lead to the discovery of forged credit cards, credit reports, counterfeit card producing machines, and nearly $100,000 in cash. What a remarkable accomplishment for the State of New York.