A 60-year-old Nigerian national, Akinpelumi Olawale Oyewusi, has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to his role in a multi-state unemployment insurance fraud scheme.*
Oyewusi, a resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, entered the plea on Thursday to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said in a statement.
The case was prosecuted under the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. US Attorney for Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, announced the plea alongside Inspectors General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security and Anthony P. D’Esposito of the Department of Labor.
How The Scheme Worked
Court documents showed that between September 2020 and March 2021, Oyewusi and other co-conspirators defrauded state labour agencies, including the Maryland Department of Labor, by filing bogus unemployment claims.
Prosecutors said the group used stolen identities of real individuals to obtain fraudulent benefits from Maryland and other states. They then moved and withdrew the funds through wire transfers and ATM withdrawals.
Authorities said the scheme caused identity theft for victims, financial losses to state agencies, and misdirected funds through financial institutions.
Investigators traced at least $415,874.63 in losses directly to Oyewusi, who is believed to have personally kept about $25,000 from the operation.
Fake Claims, Real Identities
The US Attorney’s Office said the conspirators filed fraudulent claims in Maryland, California and other states using victims’ genuine names and Social Security numbers, while falsifying employment history and status.
Funds were accessed through debit cards linked to fraudulently opened bank accounts mailed to addresses in Maryland. Oyewusi allegedly withdrew the money and shared portions with other members after taking his cut.
He also reportedly used US Postal Service mail-tracking alerts to monitor delivery of the debit cards, allowing him to withdraw funds immediately, often the maximum allowed per card.
ATM footage captured Oyewusi withdrawing about $18,000 from unemployment debit cards linked to six fraudulent claims between December 2020 and March 2021. Bank records showed total withdrawals of nearly $69,000 from the cards during the scheme.
Oyewusi is scheduled for sentencing on Thursday, December 3, at 2 p.m.
