Oladapo Fadugba, a Nigerian-born United States citizen, faces 27 years in jail for his alleged involvement in a $690,000 wire fraud operation and making false representations to earn US citizenship.
Chronicle NG gathered this in a statement by the US Attorney for the District of Florida, Gregory Kehoe, obtained on Wednesday.
According to Kehoe, Fadugba was charged with various counts, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false claims throughout his naturalisation process.
According to Kehoe, between October 2020 and July 2023, the suspect allegedly stole $690,000 in money from the US Department of Veterans Affairs that was intended for reimbursement to a large local healthcare provider.
It was also stated that Fadugba utilised another person’s identity to arrange transfers to various bank accounts under his control.
The statement read, “According to the indictment, beginning on October 30, 2020, and ending no later than July 11, 2023, Fadugba had more than $690,000 of Department of Veterans Affairs funds, intended for reimbursement to a large local healthcare provider, transferred to his personal bank accounts.
“Fadugba then wrote cheques to himself or to businesses associated with him, which were subsequently transferred to other bank accounts under his control. It is alleged that he used the identification of another individual to carry out these transfers.”
In addition, Fadugba is accused of lying under oath during his US naturalisation proceedings by falsely claiming that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested.
According to Kehoe, if the defendant is convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum term of 27 years in federal prison and a forfeiture of $400,000, which represents proceeds from the alleged offences.
“The indictment further alleges that Fadugba, a naturalised US citizen from Nigeria, made a false statement under oath during his naturalisation proceedings by claiming he had not committed any offence or crime for which he had not been arrested.
“If convicted on all charges, Fadugba faces up to 27 years in federal prison. The indictment also includes a notice that the United States is seeking a forfeiture order of $400,000, which reflects the approximate proceeds of the criminal conduct charged,” the statement added.
Kehoe concluded by mentioning that “an indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
