40-year-old Nigerian arrested for $10m pandemic unemployment fraud in US

A Nigerian national, Yomi Jones Olayeye, also known as “Sabbie,” was arrested in New York on August 13, 2024, for allegedly conspiring to fraudulently obtain $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts under the Department of Justice revealed this in a statement posted on its website on Monday.

Olayeye, 40, and his accomplices are accused of using stolen personal information to claim benefits from various pandemic assistance programs.

Olayeye faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Authorities allege that between March and July 2020, he and his co-conspirators exploited unemployment insurance programs in several states, including Massachusetts and Hawaii.

The statement read, “A Nigerian man was arrested on Aug. 13, 2024 upon arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on charges that he and other conspired to fraudulently obtain at least $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

“Yomi Jones Olayeye, a/k/a “Sabbie,” 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. He made an initial appearance in the Eastern District of New York on Aug. 14, 2024 and will appear in federal court in Boston tomorrow.

“According to the charging document, between March and July 2020, Olayeye and others defrauded three pandemic assistance programs administrated by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and other states’ unemployment insurance agencies: traditional unemployment insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).”

They reportedly used stolen identities to open bank accounts and recruited U.S.-based accomplices to launder the fraud proceeds, which were later converted to Bitcoin.

Olayeye is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on August 20. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and an additional mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.

The statement added,”The charges of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, fforfeiture,and restitution.

“The charge of aggravated identity theft calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison to be added to any sentence imposed on the wire fraud charge.

“Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.”

The Attorney General was reported to have established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force on May 17, 2021 to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across the government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.