Three Nigerians living in the United States have been sentenced to a combined eight years in prison for their role in a $520,910 COVID-19 unemployment benefits fraud. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday, the convicted men are Kamaldeen Karaole, 24; Stephen Olamigoke, 23; and Johnson Omodusonu, 24.
Court documents revealed that the fraudulent scheme took place between August and October 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trio conspired with accomplices outside the U.S. to steal 168 unemployment insurance debit cards issued by the states of California, Arizona, and Nevada. The cards, loaded with unemployment benefits, were obtained using stolen personal data of real individuals.
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The statement explained:
“The conspirators used the stolen identities to file numerous false unemployment claims. These cards were periodically loaded with benefits. None belonged to the members of the conspiracy.”
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Investigations showed that the fraudsters used 98 of the stolen cards to make over 529 cash withdrawals from ATMs across Indianapolis, stealing a total of $520,910.
Each defendant faced charges including conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Karaole pleaded guilty and received four years and three months in prison, while Olamigoke was sentenced to two and a half years. Omodusonu received two years. All three were also ordered to pay $520,910 in restitution.
The DOJ further revealed that Olamigoke agreed to deportation to Nigeria after serving his jail term. The case highlights ongoing international efforts to curb identity theft and unemployment benefit fraud.
This development follows an earlier report that another Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, is facing up to 47 years in prison after his extradition to the U.S. for alleged involvement in wire fraud and identity theft schemes totaling $819,000.
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