ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A man accused of leading a fraud scheme that caused $13 million in losses has been returned to the United States after four years as a fugitive.

Federal prosecutors in Alexandria say 33-year-old Tobechi Onwuhara, formerly of Dallas, made an initial appearance in court on Friday. He had been arrested in Australia in December.

Onwuhara was charged in 2008 with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Prosecutors say he was part of a group that used Web databases to search for account holders with large balances in home equity line of credit accounts.

Authorities say Onwuhara and others called financial institutions, impersonated the account holders, and transferred money into an account from which a wire transfer could be sent. The conspirators then allegedly wired transfer money to accounts they controlled.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)