Maryland Woman Sentenced for Role in HSTF Multi-Million Dollar Money Laundering Conspiracy Case

Baltimore, Maryland - A Hanover, Maryland, woman learned her fate in federal court, in connection with a multi-million-dollar money laundering scheme.

Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Areal Harris, 27, to two years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for conspiring to engage in a large, multi-member, money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Judge Maddox ordered Harris to pay $3,159,482.83 in restitution. Harris, who pled guilty to participating in the money laundering conspiracy in May 2025, admitted that at least $1.3 million in money laundering occurred pursuant to her direct participation in the conspiracy.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher R. Heck, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) - Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge George Golliday, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General (EPA-OIG).

According to court documents, beginning in 2021, and continuing into February 2024, Harris conspired with multiple individuals to launder proceeds of a large-scale wire fraud. The co-conspirators engaged in various financial transactions to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the wire-fraud proceeds, while carrying out the conspiracy.

The victims included government agencies, organizations, and companies, including an environmental trust, urban redevelopment program, medical center, transportation and logistics company, school district, college, and county government, among others.

Harris and her co-conspirators worked with each other to create limited liability companies to serve as shell entities; open bank accounts and/or cause bank accounts to be opened in the name of shell entities; and receive and launder fraud proceeds.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland previously charged 14 defendants in connection with the money laundering conspiracy. Thirteen have pled guilty. Faizou Gnora, 28, previously of Alexandria, Virginia, remains a fugitive from justice.

In connection with this prosecution, Yahya Sowe, 42, of Silver Spring, Maryland, Gedeon Agbeyome, 31, of Montgomery County, Maryland, and Victor Killen, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, previously pled guilty, admitting to conspiring to commit money laundering.

Additionally, Adanegbe Gift Osemwenkhae, 39, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Emily Gil Arias, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Fatoumata Boiro, 32, of Largo, Maryland; Lawrence Ogunsanwo, 33; Lakeisha Parker, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland; Martin Ogisi, 37, of Severn, Maryland; Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Kevin Colon, 34, of Curtis Bay, Maryland; and Lorena Perez Herrera, 29, of Silver Spring, Maryland, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Agbeyome also admitted engaging in aggravated identity theft and Parker acknowledged engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As part of their plea agreements, Gift and Sowe admitted that they served as managers or supervisors of the money laundering conspiracy. The overall conspiracy involved more than $20 million of money laundering, involving more than 15 different victim entities.

The District Court previously sentenced:

• Agbeyome to 48 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, along with restitution of $2,938,424.65, and a $2.8 million preliminary order of forfeiture
• Ogunsanwo to 40 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $5,648,816.23
• Parker to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release and restitution of $8,306,930.95
• Ogisi to 33 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $11,077,044.17
• Ndjouandjouaka to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $733,941.48
• Colon to 27 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release and restitution of $2,515,159.63
• Killen to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution of $7,070,656.46, and a $3 million forfeiture order.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI); the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); the United States Marshals Service (USMS); the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (W/B HIDTA); the Maryland State Police (MSP); the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HSI-led Document and Benefit Fraud/Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, and thanked IRS-CI and EPA-OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes praised the Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, and Montgomery County Police Departments for their assistance. She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber, Bijon A. Mostoufi, and Jared M. Beim, who prosecuted the federal case, and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for her assistance.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

# # #