A Nigerian national, Akinpelumi Olawale Oyewusi, has pleaded guilty in a U.S. court to charges related to a large-scale unemployment insurance fraud scheme that spanned multiple states. The 60-year-old resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, admitted to conspiring in wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, crimes that led to the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars from state unemployment systems. His guilty plea covers activities from September 2020 through March 2021, during which he worked with others to exploit weaknesses in U.S. unemployment benefit programs.
Oyewusi and his co-conspirators used stolen identities to file false unemployment claims with state workforce agencies, including the Maryland Department of Labour and California’s Employment Development Department. They submitted applications using real people’s names, social security numbers, and fabricated employment histories to qualify for benefits they were not entitled to. These fraudulent claims allowed them to access unemployment insurance funds meant for genuine job seekers.
The group received their stolen money through bank-issued debit cards linked to accounts they created under false pretenses. These cards were mailed to addresses in Maryland and other locations, with Oyewusi receiving alerts from the U.S. Postal Service to track when the cards arrived. He personally withdrew cash from ATMs using these cards, often taking the maximum allowed per transaction and returning later for more withdrawals. Surveillance footage from December 2020 to March 2021 captured him withdrawing $18,000 from six different fraudulent accounts, while bank records show total withdrawals of approximately $69,000.
Oyewusi was directly connected to at least $415,874.63 in actual losses, and personally obtained over $25,000 from the scheme. He also transferred portions of the stolen funds to other members of the conspiracy, further spreading the financial damage. The fraud impacted real individuals whose identities were stolen, state agencies that lost public funds, and financial institutions that processed the fraudulent transactions.
His sentencing is scheduled for December 3 at 2 p.m. in a U.S. federal court. This case highlights the ongoing threat of identity theft and financial fraud, especially during periods of economic stress like the pandemic. It also underscores the importance of robust verification systems in government benefit programs. As authorities continue to combat such crimes, this conviction serves as a warning to those who seek to exploit public resources for personal gain.
Leave a Comment