US court sama former aide of Ogun state governor five years for prison

During di sentencing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle say: “Di tim wey jija am na say im greedy, im greedy so tey im no fi t control am, and e dey insensitive towards pipo wey dey suffer.”

According to records for dicase, since 2017, Rufai steal di personal identity informate of more than 20,000 Americans to submit more dan $2 million claims for federal goment disaster relief benefits and fraudulent tax returns. 

Di different agencies wey dey involved pay more dan $600,000.

Im commit di most crime for di Washington State Employment Security Department, wey pay out $350,763 for fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims to accounts wey Rufai bin dey control.

Rufai bin also submit fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims for at least 17 other states. 

Assistant United States Attorney Cindy Chang say Rufai scam damage di life of at least 238 pipo wey bin need help.

Abidemi Rufai don dey custody since authorities arrest am for New York JFK airport for May 2021.  

Na di Federal Bureau of Investigation torchlight in case wit assistance from di Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and di United States Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General, and di Washington Employment Security Department (ESD).

Who be Abidemi Rufai?

Di FBI report say e be Nigerian citizen wey dey also go by di nickname Sandy Tang.

Now, Ogun state goment confam say e be aide to Govnor Dapo Abiodun.

Di criminal complaint claim say Rufai tiff di identities of more dan 100 Washington residents to file fake claims wit ESD to get pandemic-related unemployment benefits.

FBI also accuse Rufai say e allegedly file fraudulent unemployment claims wit Hawaii, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Dem also accuse Rufai say e allegedly use different single e-mail address to defraud ESD in a manner wey fraud systems no go detect am.

By using dis method, Rufai make am appear like say each claim na from different email account.

Dem accuse am say e do am in a way wey be say money from di mago-mago go dey paid into online payment accounts like ‘Green Dot’ accounts, or e go dey wired to bank accounts wey dey controlled by “money mules.”

Dem also accuse am say e go later mail some of di money to Jamaica, New York address of Rufai relative.

Law enforcement sure say more dan $288,000 dey deposited into one American bank account wey dem accuse Rufai say e control