Jafaar September Nyangoro, 53, of Franklin, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a scheme that defrauded Fresno County of over $1.5 million. The U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California, announced the plea.
According to court documents, Nyangoro, along with co-defendant Peter Bah Acha, 46, of Berlin, Germany, and others, secretly accessed an email account belonging to a Fresno nonprofit's finance director. Posing as the director, they fraudulently instructed Fresno County to update the nonprofit's bank account information, diverting payments to an account Nyangoro had recently opened.
Between September 24 and October 13, 2020, Fresno County initiated several Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers totaling more than $1.5 million to Nyangoro’s account. Communications between the conspirators, including via WhatsApp, revealed their awareness of the scheme's unraveling, with Nyangoro messaging, "We’re in deep s***. The last 3 transactions from County of Fresno have been reversed. Please call me ASAP!" after some transfers were reversed for suspected fraud.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Nyangoro is scheduled for sentencing on September 21, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and restitution.