A Nigerian-born United States citizen, Oladapo Fadugba, risks 27 years imprisonment over his alleged involvement in a $690,000 wire fraud scheme and making false declarations to obtain US citizenship.
PUNCH Metro learnt this in a statement by the US Attorney for the District of Florida, Gregory Kehoe, obtained on Wednesday.
According to Kehoe, Fadugba was indicted for multiple charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements during his naturalisation process.
According to Kehoe, between October 2020 and July 2023, the suspect allegedly diverted $690,000 in funds belonging to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, which was meant for reimbursement to a major local healthcare provider.
It was further alleged that Fadugba used another person’s identity to facilitate the transfers into various bank accounts under his control.
The statement read, “According to the indictment, beginning on October 30, 2020, and ending no later than July 11, 2023, Fadugba had more than $690,000 of Department of Veterans Affairs funds, intended for reimbursement to a large local healthcare provider, transferred to his personal bank accounts.
“Fadugba then wrote cheques to himself or to businesses associated with him, which were subsequently transferred to other bank accounts under his control. It is alleged that he used the identification of another individual to carry out these transfers.”
In addition, Fadugba is accused of lying under oath during his US naturalisation proceedings by falsely stating that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested.
Kehoe stated that, if the suspect was convicted on all counts, he risked a maximum sentence of 27 years in the US federal prison and the forfeiture of $400,000, representing proceeds from the alleged crimes.
“The indictment further alleges that Fadugba, a naturalised US citizen from Nigeria, made a false statement under oath during his naturalisation proceedings by claiming he had not committed any offence or crime for which he had not been arrested.
“If convicted on all charges, Fadugba faces up to 27 years in federal prison. The indictment also includes a notice that the United States is seeking a forfeiture order of $400,000, which reflects the approximate proceeds of the criminal conduct charged,” the statement added.
Kehoe concluded by noting that “an indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
PUNCH Metro reported on April 12 that a 24-year-old Nigerian man, Mercy Ojedeji, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents in the United States.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, the plea was entered in a US District Court in St. Louis, Missouri.
Ojedeji had admitted to fraudulently securing a student visa and gaining admission into the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in Fall 2023.
He acknowledged using falsified academic transcripts, recommendation letters, a fake resume, and a fabricated English language proficiency report to obtain the visa.(Punch)
