Utah men charged in $3.1M check fraud scheme

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — In a now-unsealed federal indictment, three Utah men have been charged in the District of Utah with check fraud and money laundering of $3.1 million.

Pitshou Yunga Kafuku, Beni Musogo Kahwara, and Hugues Simo-Fotue were charged 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.

According to the indictment, the defendants defrauded banks and the U.S. Treasury of $3.1 million between January 2022 and February 2025.

The defendants allegedly worked together and with others to defraud U.S. banks by depositing counterfeit, stolen, and fraudulently obtained checks, including U.S. treasury checks. They transferred any successful deposits to different accounts, which included sending thousands of dollars to businesses in China and Singapore, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Court documents also stated that some of the checks were stolen from letters and other mail sent from the United States to businesses and individuals in Africa.

In 2018, Kafuku was federally charged in the District of Utah with identity theft and securities fraud. The charges related to securities fraud were dismissed, but he pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft and served two years in prison.

Kafuku and Kahwara made their initial court appearances on April 22, 2025, and Simo-Fotue made his initial appearance on May 12, 2025.