Three Nigerians based in the United States — Kamaldeen Karaole, Stephen Olamigoke, and Johnson Omodusonu — have been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for defrauding the US of $520,910 in a COVID-19 unemployment benefits scheme.
One of the convicts also agreed to be deported to Nigeria upon completing his jail term.
A statement obtained from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday that the trio, in 2020, stole no fewer than 168 Unemployment Insurance debit cards belonging to other people.
According to the statement, court documents revealed that between August and October 2020, the convicts, in connivance with other suspects outside the US, used the stolen debit cards and passwords to file false unemployment benefits claims.
The statement added that 98 of the cards were used to withdraw cash from various Automated Teller Machines across the US.
It read, *“These cards, issued by the states of California, Arizona, and Nevada, were being periodically loaded with benefits. None of the cards belonged to the members of the conspiracy — they were all in the names of real individuals.
“To obtain the cards, other members of the conspiracy located outside the United States used stolen personally identifiable information to file numerous false unemployment claims with various state workforce agencies.
“The trio used 98 of the cards to withdraw cash from various ATMs in and around Indianapolis, often making multiple withdrawals within the span of just a few minutes. In total, they completed 529 withdrawals, stealing $520,910 in benefits.”*
Following their arrests, they were arraigned on different charges bordering on conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, among others.
The statement noted that 24-year-old Karaole was charged with aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, and access device fraud, to which he pleaded guilty.
Karaole was sentenced to four years and three months’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release.
Similarly, 23-year-old Olamigoke was found guilty of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and access device fraud, and was sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release.
Also, 24-year-old Omodusonu, of Indianapolis, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and access device fraud, and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and two years of supervised release.
*“Each defendant was also ordered to pay $520,910 in restitution.
“At the time Stephen Olamigoke entered his guilty plea, he acknowledged that upon completion of his sentence, he will be subject to removal from the United States,”* the statement noted.
