A United States District Court has sentenced a Nigerian pastor, Edward Oluwasanmi, to 27 months’ imprisonment for COVID-19 relief fund fraud.
His friend, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, also forfeited his property to the US government while awaiting the court judgement slated for August 1.
Oluwasanmi and Oba Oloyede were arrested in early 2024 for fraudulently obtaining $4.2m in COVID-19 relief funds.
The two men were charged before Justice Christopher Boyko of the US District Court of Ohio with 13 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
It is reported that Oluwasanmi and Oloyede pleaded guilty to some of the charges after reaching a guilty plea agreement with the court.
According to court records, Judge Boyko sentenced Oluwasanmi to 27 months’ imprisonment on counts one, 11 and 12 of the indictment on Wednesday, July 2, and the sentences are to be served concurrently.
The court also ordered Oluwasanmi to pay a fine of $15,000, while he is to report himself to the U.S. Marshal Service.
“Supervised release three years on each of counts 1 and 11-12, all such terms to run concurrently, with standard and special conditions.
“As a result of the foregoing offenses, defendants Joseph Oloyede and Edward Oluwasanmi shall forfeit to the United States: all property, real and personal, which constitutes – or is derived from – proceeds traceable to the commission of the wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy offenses; all property constituting, or derived from, proceeds the defendants obtained, directly or indirectly, as the result of the wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy offenses and any and all property, real and personal involved in the money laundering offenses, and any property traceable to such property,” the court said.
Oluwasanmi is to forfeit a commercial property on 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio.
Meanwhile, the court has fixed Friday, August 1, for sentencing of Oloyede, after the monarch also pleaded guilty to counts one and 13 of his charges.
On Monday, April 21, Oba Oloyede, a US-based accountant and information system expert, who was appointed Apetu in July 2019, submitted his guilty plea to the court.