A Nigerian guy, known as Yomi Olayeye has been arrested and charged with conspiracy, cord fraud, and identification robbery for his alleged function in a $10 million pandemic unemployment support fraud scheme in america.
The US Lawyer’s Place of business for the District of Massachusetts below the Segment of Justice visible this in a remark posted on its website online on Monday.
The remark learn, “A Nigerian guy used to be arrested on Aug. 13, 2024 upon arriving at John F. Kennedy Global Airport in Untouched York Town on fees that he and alternative conspired to fraudulently download a minimum of $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment advantages.
“Yomi Jones Olayeye, a/k/a “Sabbie,” 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, is charged with one rely of cord fraud conspiracy, one rely of cord fraud, and one rely of annoyed identification robbery. He made an preliminary look within the Japanese District of Untouched York on Aug. 14, 2024 and can seem in federal courtroom in Boston the following day.
“According to the charging document, between March and July 2020, Olayeye and others defrauded three pandemic assistance programs administrated by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and other states’ unemployment insurance agencies: traditional unemployment insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).”
Olayeye and his co-conspirators had been imagined to have impaired stolen private data to use for unemployment advantages in a couple of states, together with Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Indiana.
The remark added, “In overall, Olayeye and his co-conspirators allegedly implemented for no less than $10 million in fraudulent UI, PUA and FPUC from Massachusetts, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Montana, Maine, Ohio and Washington and gained greater than $1.5 million in support to which they weren’t entitled.
“Particularly, Olayeye and his co-conspirators allegedly impaired individually identifiable data (PII) they bought over felony web boards to use for UI, PUA and FPUC – falsely representing themselves to be eligible atmosphere citizens suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Olayeye and his co-conspirators allegedly used the same fraudulently obtained PII to open U.S. bank and prepaid debit card accounts to receive the assistance payments. It is also alleged that Olayeye and his co-conspirators recruited U.S.-based account holders to receive and transfer the fraud proceeds via cash transfer applications.”
They had been additionally imagined to have impaired the advantages to buy Bitcoin and vague their connection to Nigeria by way of the use of US-based IP addresses.
“Olayeye and his co-conspirators after allegedly impaired the fraudulent proceeds to buy Bitcoin by means of on-line marketplaces.
“It is further alleged that Olayeye and his co-conspirators concealed the conspiracy’s connection to Nigeria by leasing Internet Protocol addresses assigned to computers located in the United States for use in the fraudulent transactions,” the remark learn.
The US Segment of Justice additional defined that if convicted, Olayeye faces as much as twenty years in jail, 3 years of supervised reduce, a wonderful of $250,000 or two times the improper acquire or loss, forfeiture, and restitution.
The remark added,”The fees of cord fraud and cord fraud conspiracy handover for a sentence of as much as twenty years in jail, 3 years of supervised reduce, a wonderful of $250,000 or two times the improper acquire or loss, fforfeiture,and restitution.
“The rate of annoyed identification robbery requires a compulsory minimal sentence of 2 years in jail to be added to any sentence imposed at the cord fraud rate.
“Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.”
The Lawyer Normal used to be reported to have established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Activity Power on Would possibly 17, 2021 to marshal the sources of the Segment of Justice in partnership with companies around the executive to reinforce efforts to fight and block pandemic-related fraud