05/14/2025

Defendants Charged for Running Over $3.1 Million Check Fraud Scheme Targeting U.S. Treasury, Others

United States Attorney's Office District of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An indictment was unsealed in the District of Utah, charging Pitshou Yunga Kafuku, 42, Beni Musogo Kahwara, 25, and Hugues Simo-Fotue, 42, with counts of bank fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, theft of government funds, passing fraudulent U.S. Treasury checks, possession of stolen mail, and money laundering.

Kafuku and Kahwara made their initial appearances on April 22, 2025, and were ordered detained pending trial by Chief Magistrate Judge Dustin B. Pead.  Simo-Fotue made his initial appearance May 12, 2025 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

As alleged in the indictment, the defendants conspired together and with others to defraud U.S. banks by depositing counterfeit, stolen, and otherwise fraudulently obtained checks, including U.S. Treasury checks.  Court documents further allege that the defendants would quickly transfer any successful deposits to different accounts or overseas, including by sending thousands of dollars to business entities in China and Singapore. As alleged, between January 2022 and February 2025, these efforts yielded over $3.1 million in fraud proceeds.  Documents filed with the court also state that some of the checks were stolen from intercepted letters and items of mail sent from the United States to business entities and individuals in Africa.