Three Nigerians, Shalewa Olayinka, Christy Tifase and Maxwell Ezenwa are in hot water for their involvement in a large-scale credit card fraud out of Houston, TX.
Olayinka allegedly used the business name “Sleek Auto Sales” for his fraudulent transactions, Tifase owns an African food restaurant named “Lagos Island Café”, while Ezenwa owns “Lace Warehouse and African Fashions” on Bissonnet.
According to court records, Shalewa Olayinka, 53, applied for and obtained 116 credit cards from eight different financial institutions in 12 other people’s names. He allegedly applies for the credit card using a victim’s information and then steals the card out of their mailbox when it arrived.
Financial Crimes Investigators say Olayinka had a square card reader attached to his cell phone under his business name and would run the fraudulent credit cards in his apartment. The money was then deposited into his bank account.
The trio are now facing felony charges related to engaging in organized criminal activity – accused of stealing more than $650,000.
Reports have it that Tifase is expected to surrender. Olayinka remains in jail on a $30,000 bond while Ezenwa is out of jail on bond. Source: Nigerian Newspapers
