Nigerian Man Admits Role in $415,000 US Unemployment Fraud Scheme

A 60-year-old Nigerian national, Akinpelumi Olawale Oyewusi, has admitted guilt in a US federal court over his role in a multi-state unemployment insurance fraud scheme.

Oyewusi, a resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to a statement released Thursday by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

The case falls under the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. US Attorney for Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, disclosed the plea alongside Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security and Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito of the US Department of Labor.

How the Scheme Worked

Court documents show that between September 2020 and March 2021, Oyewusi and several co-conspirators worked together to defraud state labour agencies, including the Maryland Department of Labor, by filing bogus unemployment insurance claims.

Prosecutors said the group used stolen identities of real individuals to secure fraudulent benefits from Maryland and other states, then moved and withdrew the funds through wire transfers and ATM withdrawals.

Authorities said the scheme harmed victims in multiple ways  through identity theft, financial losses suffered by state labour agencies, and fraudulent transactions that misdirected funds through a financial institution.

Investigators traced at least $415,874.63 in losses directly to Oyewusi, who is believed to have personally pocketed roughly $25,000 from the operation.

Fake Claims, Real Identities

According to the US Attorney’s Office, the conspirators submitted fraudulent unemployment claims to several state agencies, including those in Maryland and California, using victims’ genuine Social Security numbers and names while falsifying their employment history and status.

The stolen funds were accessed via debit cards tied to fraudulently opened bank accounts, which were mailed to addresses in Maryland and other locations. Oyewusi reportedly withdrew money from these accounts and distributed portions to other members of the group after keeping a cut for himself.

He also allegedly used US Postal Service mail-tracking alerts to monitor when the fraudulent debit cards arrived, allowing him to withdraw funds shortly after  typically pulling the maximum amount permitted per card.

Investigators say ATM footage captured Oyewusi withdrawing about $18,000 from unemployment debit cards linked to six separate fraudulent claims between December 2020 and March 2021. Bank records further show he withdrew close to $69,000 in total from these cards over the course of the scheme.

Oyewusi is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, December 3, at 2 p.m.