Michael Otieno Owano, a Nairobi lawyer running Otieno M.O. Law Advocates, has been arrested by DCI detectives in a high-stakes gold scam that swindled a Canadian investor out of a jaw-dropping USD 618,000 (approx. Ksh 79.9 million) all over a gold deal that was pure fantasy.
According to the DCI, the con involved a sham shipment of 250 kilograms of gold, supposedly bound for Dubai via private jet. The so-called deal kicked off on April 15, 2025, when the victim received a Proforma Invoice for USD 318,400 from EAI Logistics funds that were funnelled straight into Owano’s law firm account.
As if that wasn’t enough, the victim was then duped into transferring an extra USDT 300,000 to a cryptocurrency wallet—because gold scams now come with crypto flair. Despite the hefty price tag, no gold was ever delivered.
Owano’s arrest is the latest in a sweeping crackdown on the transnational gold fraud syndicate. Also behind bars is Francis Talla Ouafo (aka Allain), a Cameroonian alleged mastermind, who was arraigned on July 31, 2025. Meanwhile, Lupemba Lorenzi Olivier (Congolese) faces charges in a parallel plot targeting a Gabonese investor, and Kelvin Otieno Onyango (Kevo Sonko), director of SwiftTaxis Logistics Ltd, is accused of hosting courtship meetings where further exchanges, including USD 140,000 (Ksh 18 million) into an escrow account were arranged.
All suspects remain in custody, as the DCI’s Operation Support Unit doubles efforts to dismantle this sophisticated gold con network.
