NewStats: 3,262,135 , 8,176,171 topics. Date: Saturday, 31 May 2025 at 09:58 PM 3z1e69

Abidemi Rufai, an official of the Ogun State government until his arrest, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Mr Rufai, 45, itted using stolen identities to claim hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney, Nick Brown, said.

Abidemi Rufai has been in custody since his arrest at New York’s JFK airport in May 2021. At the time of his arrest, Rufai was the Special Assistant to the Governor of Nigeria’s Ogun State.

According to the plea agreement, since 2017, Abidemi Rufai unlawfully obtained the personal identifying information for more than 20,000 Americans to submit more than $2 million in claims for federally funded benefits under a variety of relief programs. The various agencies involved paid out more than $600,000.

The largest amount of fraud was committed against the Washington State Employment Security Department, which paid out $350,763 in fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims to s controlled by Abidemi Rufai.

The Nigerian also submitted fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims in at least 17 other states.

Mr Rufai also defrauded the Small Business istration (SBA) by attempting to obtain Economic Injury Disaster loans (EIDL) tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between April 8, 2020, and June 26, 2020, he submitted 19 fraudulent EIDL applications. SBA paid out $10,000 based on the applications.

Between 2017 and 2020, Abidemi Rufai attempted to obtain more than $1.7 million in IRS tax refunds by submitting 675 false claims. The IRS paid out $90,877 on these claims.

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Mr Rufai’s efforts to enrich himself with false disaster claims did not start with COVID-19. In September and October 2017, he submitted 49 disaster relief claims connected to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. He filed $24,500 in false claims and was paid on 13 claims totaling $6,500.

Abidemi Rufai has agreed to pay full restitution to the defrauded agencies.

Wire fraud in relation to a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable two years in prison to follow any prison term imposed on another charge.

Prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than 71 months in prison. The recommendation is not binding on U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle, who will determine the appropriate sentence on August 15, 2022, after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Abidemi Rufai’s case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and the United States Small Business istration Office of the Inspector General. The Washington Employment Security Department is cooperating in the investigation.

READ ALSO: Court orders interim forfeiture of Abidemi Rufai’s homes, bank s

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Seth Wilkinson and Cindy Chang of the Western District of Washington.

On May 17, 2021, the U.S. Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud such as the one perpetrated by Abidemi Rufai.

The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with istering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice

https://www.timesng.com/news/headlines/527509-ogun-govs-aide-abidemi-rufai-pleads-guilty-to-covid-19-fraud-in-u-s.html

SA to the governor ....e choke

Ok.

My Yoruba brother

We don't lie except we want to scam you.

Wire fraud in relation to a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable two years in prison to follow any prison term imposed on another charge

Oh No, Not again!
Send him to JAIL now!
That is where he belongs.
Always in the news for the very wrong reasons.
May God save Nigerians from these idiots that keep bringing the country to to disrepute.
They have all the opportunities to work legitimately in foreign land, but fraud and crime is engraved on their forehead.....almost naturally!

Anything and everything is money to them, even when innocent lives are in danger.
Bastards.


Guys,
Legit Hustle is the way to a good and beautiful life,
That you will enjoy your money with peace of mind.
Keep pushing on guys, One day Hustle go pay.
God no go shame una

neonly:
Unfortunately u won't get many likes here bro
What you just said is the truth.
May God bless our legit hustle

Likes? we don't post for likes sir.
We only make our post and move on.
But quote and mentions may help tho,
That helps the Ministry...BIGTIME

BTW,
We no be bro o,
We are simply WE!

Hh

[quote author=NaijaNaWaa post=112508563][/quote] Nigerians and fraud be like Chibuzor and spare parts..you no fit separate them

Dis guy na sure loader



Hustle must pay

Main Yahoo boy na em be this.

See as Emeka just dey disgrace his People in the East. Crime doesn't pay. Now Emeka has been arrested and he will spend a long time in American jail.

MAGG0T:



If they don't mine skull, you would see dem doing thuggery, Ritual killing, Fraud...

Tinubu for president is a must!!!!!

It must take a lot of stupidity to be you. Your people are busy killing and eating each other, no week goes by without one of your brethren arrested for transporting illicit drugs, it was a brethren of yours that was caught in Lagos that killed his girlfriend and slept with her corpse for a week. Every week your brethren kill each other hoping that Buhari will die, the hate for others will not allow you to see that. Stupid rotten maggot. Mumu

Him and his principal governor abiodun are fraudulent petty thieves

Agba picker

Abidemi Rufai an Afonja from the Sad west, Ogun State.

Awon governor's Aide isonu!

Ole barawo!

Thank God it happened under a system that takes no bullshit from anyone irrespective of your status

More arrest of fraudsters disguised as politicians and businessmen..

More wins for honest hustlers..

Hmm!! Greed and wickedness

I think the former principal was also convicted of fraud in the same US? Could he be a front for him?

one has to wonder what is actually going on in OGSG.

ok

Like governor like aide

God, please my sick mother

Triangles1:
We don't lie except we want to scam you.

Burma Boy to Trevor Noah

Good one!

I learnt it was the same thing Dapo Abiodun was doing before!