Maryland National Guard Member Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy
Alagborenepakake Opuiyo faces up to 20 years in federal prison following a guilty plea in a scheme involving over $2.2 million in victim losses.
By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 10:28 a.m. ET
According to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Maryland National Guard member Alagborenepakake Opuiyo, 32, guilty on August 13, 2026, in federal district court in Greenbelt, Maryland, to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The developing case was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes alongside Special Agents in Charge from the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General's Defense Investigative Service, the FDIC Office of Inspector General, the Federal Reserve Board Office of Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Oki is prosecuting the case.
Official documents state that from May 22, 2019, through November 28, 2022, Opuiyo conspired to launder funds stolen from at least 33 victims through fraudulent means, including romance fraud and business email compromise schemes. Opuiyo and his co-conspirators opened drop accounts to receive funds wired by victims who believed they were communicating with individuals on online dating websites. They then executed cash withdrawals, account transfers, cashier's checks, and checks to other entities to hide the true ownership and source of the funds.
Official court documents show that the intended loss totaled $2,951,930.36, with an actual loss of at least $2,270,668.40. The amount of laundered funds directed into bank accounts controlled by Opuiyo was $244,614.35. Under his plea agreement, Opuiyo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a required money judgment of at least $244,614.35, and restitution in the full victim loss amount of at least $2,270,668.40. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman scheduled sentencing for Wednesday, January 20, 2027, at 2 p.m.
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