Nigerian Man Risks 96 Years in US Prison Over Alleged Fraud in Pandemic Relief Programs

A 25-year-old Nigerian man who overstayed his visa in the U.S. has been charged with defrauding the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Benefits Program and the Paycheck Protection Program.

The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad Meacham, announced this in a press statement on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Oluwanishola Oyedyipo Jinadu, 25, was charged on February 26, 2025, in a seventeen-count indictment with five counts of theft of government money, three counts of wire fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of false statements in immigration documents.

He made his initial appearance on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian McKay.

The indictment alleges that Mr. Jinadu, who was in the United States illegally after overstaying his B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa, defrauded the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which provided supplemental unemployment insurance benefits to qualified claimants under the CARES Act, and unlawfully obtained unemployment benefits.

Records show that Mr. Jinadu allegedly received stolen unemployment benefits into his bank accounts. Applications were submitted in the names of at least five victims in Washington, Massachusetts, and Kansas without their authorization.

The indictment further alleges that Mr. Jinadu also defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided forgivable loans to small businesses to cover payroll, rent, and certain other expenses under the CARES Act.

Mr. Jinadu allegedly received more than $65,000 in stolen PPP funds into his bank accounts. Applications were submitted in the names of at least three victims in Oklahoma without their authorization.

Not long after allegedly committing these frauds, Mr. Jinadu applied to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

When asked on his application, “Have you EVER committed a crime of any kind (even if you were not arrested, cited, charged with, or tried for that crime)?” Mr. Jinadu allegedly answered, “no.” He then certified, under penalty of perjury, that all of the information he provided was “complete, true, and correct.”

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Jinadu is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, he faces up to 96 years in federal prison.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany H. Eggers and Madeline S. Case are prosecuting the case.