United States v. Nosa Stephen Edokpaigbe

Case summary

United States v. Nosa Stephen Edokpaigbe, No. 1:23-cr-00442-RMR (D. Colo., Judge Regina M. Rodriguez), is a wire fraud prosecution over Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program applications filed in other people's names. The indictment of October 17, 2023 (Document 1) charged conspiracy to commit wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1349 from no later than July 2020 through at least March 2023, alleging that Edokpaigbe and a Fraud Ring used real people's identifying information to submit more than 650 fraudulent EIDL applications, obtaining more than $900,000, and more than 100 fraudulent PPP applications, obtaining more than $400,000, besides fraudulent tax returns; Counts 2 through 8 charged wire fraud and Counts 9 and 10 aggravated identity theft. In the plea agreement filed September 11, 2025 (Document 59) he agreed to plead guilty to Count 5, wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343, to restitution to the SBA and lenders estimated at no less than $1,389,713, to a forfeiture money judgment of $681,694 and to a stipulated judicial order of removal to Nigeria, with the government agreeing not to oppose a 60-month sentence if he moved for a variance based on intended versus actual loss. The judgment imposed November 25, 2025 and filed December 1, 2025 (Document 76) adjudges him guilty on Count 5, dismisses Counts 1 through 4 and 6 through 10 on the government's motion, and imposes 60 months of imprisonment, restitution of $1,408,897.16 to the Small Business Administration, a $100.00 assessment and a forfeiture money judgment of $681,694.00. The hosted record ends with that judgment.