Nigerian Man, Yomi Olayeye Charged in $10 Million U.S. COVID-19 Unemployment Fraud

Yomi Olayeye, a 40-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria, has been arrested and charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and identity theft in connection with a $10 million pandemic unemployment assistance fraud scheme in the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the charges on August 19, 2024. Olayeye, who was apprehended on August 13, 2024, at John F. Kennedy International Airport, faces accusations of conspiring to fraudulently obtain at least $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

He was charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, and will appear in federal court in Boston EKO HOT BLOG gathered.

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According to the charges, between March and July 2020, Olayeye and his co-conspirators defrauded three pandemic assistance programs administered by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and other states: traditional unemployment insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).

They are alleged to have used stolen personal information to apply for benefits in multiple states, including Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Indiana.

The group reportedly received over $1.5 million in unauthorized assistance by using personally identifiable information purchased from criminal forums to apply for benefits and open bank and prepaid debit card accounts.

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They also allegedly used the funds to buy Bitcoin and hid their Nigerian connection by using U.S.-based IP addresses.

If convicted, Olayeye faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines up to $250,000 or double the gross gain or loss, along with possible forfeiture and restitution. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in addition to any sentence for the wire fraud charges.

The Department of Justice’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established in May 2021, continues to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.

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