US Court Sentences Nigerian Man To Over 11 Years In Prison For $1.3million COVID-19 Benefits Fraud
US Court Sentences Nigerian Man To Over 11 Years In Prison For $1.3million COVID-19 Benefits Fraud
Quadri of Pasadena, living in the San Gabriel Valley was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu, on Thursday for submitting more than 100 fraudulent applications using stolen identities and using the money to build a nightclub and mall in Nigeria.
A43-year-old Nigerian national identified as Abiola Femi Quadri, has been sentenced to 135 months (over 11 years) in federal prison for defrauding California and Nevada out of $1.3 million in COVID-19 pandemic unemployment and disability insurance benefits.
Quadri of Pasadena, living in the San Gabriel Valley was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu, on Thursday for submitting more than 100 fraudulent applications using stolen identities and using the money to build a nightclub and mall in Nigeria.
The judge also ordered Quadri to pay the sum of $1,356,229 in restitution and a $35,000 fine.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Quadri acquired permanent residency in the U.S. through what he described, according to court documents, as a “fake wedding” in messages to a woman who was not his wife.
Quadri pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on January 2, 2025.
According to the Attorney’s Office, he withdrew the fraudulent unemployment and disability benefits at ATMs from 2021 until his arrest in September 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport, where he was scheduled to fly to Nigeria.
“Quadri sent at least $500,000 abroad during the scheme. He also paid for the construction of a 120-room resort hotel in Nigeria, the Oyins International, that includes a nightclub, a mall, and additional high-end amenities,” the Attorney’s stated.
“Quadri failed to disclose his ownership of the hotel as required when completing his financial disclosure to the court.
“Investigators found on Quadri’s phone images of 17 counterfeit checks totaling more than $3.3 million, along with messages about negotiating the checks.
“Some of the checks were made payable to shell businesses held in the names of Quadri’s aliases.”
The statement further noted that California paid Quadri to provide daycare services to developmentally disabled children through his Altadena-based business, Rock of Peace.
However, “When agents searched Quadri’s residence, they found the children’s misappropriated food-aid debit cards.
“The United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department Investigation Division investigated this matter.
“Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case,” the statement added.
