A Nigerian man, Fatiu Lawal, 46, has been sentenced to 54 months in prison for defrauding Americans of over $1m during the pandemic in 2020.
Lawal, who resided in Canada, was sentenced on Tuesday by the United States District Court in Tacoma for “wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.”
This was disclosed by the US Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington.
The Nigerian was extradited from Canada in July 2024, and pleaded guilty in September 2024.
At the hearing, District Judge Tiffany Cartwright said the crime required substantial planning and the 46-year-old made it his full-time job to defraud the US for years before the pandemic.
Lawal used stolen identities of Washington residents to file dozens of unemployment claims in the first few weeks of the pandemic.
His criminal activity contributed to fraudulent claims that caused Washington state to pause all unemployment payments.
According to court documents, Lawal and his Nigerian accomplice, Sakiru Ambali, used the stolen identities of thousands of workers to submit more than 1,700 claims for pandemic unemployment benefits to over 25 states, including Washington State.
The claims sought approximately $25m in total, but the conspirators obtained approximately $2.7m, primarily from pandemic unemployment benefits.
Lawal admited that he submitted claims for $1,345,472.
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