Married couple sentenced for wire fraud, money laundering

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A married couple was both sentenced to federal prison after prosecutors say they robbed a Memphis woman of $76,000.

Caesar Oruade, 39, and Ayana Saunders, 37, of California, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to launder money. They were sentenced to 70 and 60 months in prison respectively, followed by three years of supervised release.

They must also pay more than $1 million in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz says the Memphis woman’s $76,000 down payment for a home was intercepted and diverted to another bank account.

Agents tracked the money to several other bank accounts before it was wired to an account in Nigeria.

The same theft happened to others across the United States and Canada.

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