A federal grand jury has indicted Jafaar September Nyangoro from Franklin, Tennessee, and Peter Bah Acha from Berlin, Germany. They face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in connection with a scheme targeting Fresno County. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith made the announcement.
Court documents reveal that before September 14, 2020, Nyangoro, Acha, and others gained unauthorized access to an email account belonging to the finance director of a Fresno nonprofit. They allegedly used this access to submit fraudulent invoices for payment through Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions. By impersonating the finance director, they misled Fresno County into believing that the nonprofit's bank account information had changed. Consequently, payments were directed to a new bank account opened by Nyangoro.
Between September 24 and October 13, 2020, over $1.5 million was transferred by Fresno County into Nyangoro’s bank account instead of the intended nonprofit’s account. The accused communicated using various methods including WhatsApp. On October 16, 2020, following some ACH transfers being reversed due to suspected fraud by Regions Bank, Nyangoro sent a message via WhatsApp: “We’re in deep s***. The last 3 transactions from County of Fresno have been reversed. Please call me ASAP!”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to these charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa is handling the prosecution.
Nyangoro was detained by a magistrate judge in Nashville on May 14, 2025, and is expected to appear in court in Fresno at a later date.
If found guilty, both Nyangoro and Acha could face up to 20 years in prison along with fines reaching $250,000 for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Sentencing would be determined based on statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines after considering all relevant variables. It is important to note that these charges are allegations; both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.