KCSD Press Release- A Nigerian man was taken into custody yesterday by officials in Atlanta, Georgia, in connection with a theft investigation by Kosciusko County officials.
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department detectives stated that officers from the Atlanta Police Department (Georgia) have taken Kazeem Owonla, 44, Nigeria, into custody at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at approximately 5:30 a.m. yesterday. Owonla was a suspect involved in a theft incident originally investigated on June 28th of this year by K.C.S.D. deputies. At that time, it was discovered that a female from the Syracuse, Indiana, area had wired a large amount of money through Western Union to Owonla. The suspect had reportedly used the alias name of “John Tony Hagan” during his contact over the internet. Owonla had also obtained and used a non-authorized photo of Montana Attorney General Tim Fox as his profile picture during conversations with the Indiana victim.
Kosciusko County deputies began working with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Newark Police Department, New Jersey, to follow the banking account trail of Owonla. United States Custom and Border Protection agents contacted officers at Atlanta this morning while Owonla was in-flight from Nigeria, in preparation of his arrival back into the United States. Owonla was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Clayton County Jail, Georgia, on preliminary charges of felony corrupt business influence and felony theft.
Kosciusko detectives were also able to establish during the investigation that Owonla had performed a similar criminal act with a female in Clarksville, Ohio, and potentially a third unidentified victim. Owonla is currently awaiting transportation back to Indiana where he will be held on a $150,000 bond.
