The United States government has indicted a Nigerian-born U.S. citizen, Oladapo Fadugba, for allegedly stealing $690,000 in a wire fraud scheme and lying during his naturalization process.
According to a statement from U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe of the District of Florida, Fadugba faces several charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements to obtain U.S. citizenship. If found guilty on all counts, he could be sentenced to up to 27 years in federal prison.
“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,” Kehoe said.
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Investigators allege that Fadugba used another person’s identity to move the funds into several bank accounts he controlled. He then reportedly wrote checks to himself or businesses linked to him and moved the money again to other accounts he owned.
The statement further noted that Fadugba lied during his naturalization process by claiming he had never committed any crime.
“The indictment further alleges that Fadugba, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, made a false statement under oath during his naturalization proceedings,” Kehoe said.
In addition to prison time, Fadugba may have to forfeit $400,000, which prosecutors believe represents the profits from the crimes.
Kehoe reminded the public that “an indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
This case comes shortly after another Nigerian, Mercy Ojedeji, pleaded guilty in Missouri to wire fraud and using fake documents to enter a U.S. university.