Two Nigerian Nationals Based in Maryland Sentenced for Schemes
Summary
A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, dated October 10, 2023, announcing that Quazeem Owolabi Adeyinka and Ayodeji Jonathan Sangode were sentenced to 26 months and 14 months in prison respectively, as announced by U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. Sangode pleaded guilty in October 2022 to access device fraud and Adeyinka pleaded guilty in November 2022 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The release states that the co-conspirators, including Olamide Yusuf Bakare, submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD). The release states that debit cards used by Adeyinka were linked to accounts that received approximately $237,911 and those used by Sangode to accounts that received approximately $752,142.
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“Two Nigerian Nationals Based in Maryland Sentenced for Schemes.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lauren Horwood
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 Public Affairs Officer
EDCA.gov | @EDCAnews Lauren.Horwood@usdoj.gov
Two Nigerian Nationals Based in Maryland Sentenced for Schemes to Steal California and
Other States’ Unemployment Insurance Benefits
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nigerian nationals Quazeem Owolabi Adeyinka, 22, and Ayodeji
Jonathan Sangode, 25, currently both residing in Maryland, were sentenced today to 26 months
and 14 months in prison respectively for their roles a fraud conspiracy during the COVID-19
pandemic, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Sangode pleaded guilty in October 2022 to access device fraud, and Adeyinka pleaded guilty in
November 2022 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A third co-conspirator, Olamide Yusuf
Bakare, 26, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced in July 2023 to four years and nine months in
prison.
According to court documents, between June 2020 and July 2021, Adeyinka, Sangode, Bakare,
and others participated in a conspiracy to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) and
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims to the State of California. More than 200
individual applications were filed with the California Employment Development Department
(EDD) indicating that the claimants’ address was the Hyattsville, Maryland, apartment that the
co-defendants shared.
During the conspiracy, the conspirators obtained the personally identifiable information (PII) of
persons who were not eligible for UI or PUA benefits or who did not authorize the conspirators
to act on their behalf with respect to seeking such benefits. Such PII included names, dates of
birth, and Social Security numbers. The conspirators then used the PII to submit dozens of
fraudulent UI and PUA claims to EDD under the putative claimants’ identities and without their
authorization.
The underlying benefit applications contained false representations, including, for example, that
the claimants had worked for certain employers and supervisors; had specific annual incomes;
worked during certain time periods; were self-employed in various occupations; were laid off
and had no work; were newly unemployed due to a disaster including the COVID-19 pandemic;
and were currently available to work. Most, if not all, of these claims were false because the
claimants were not so previously working, employed, newly unemployed, or seeking new
employment.
The conspirators knew that these representations were false or lacked the knowledge and
authority to make such representations. These actions caused EDD to approve fraudulent UI and
PUA claims.
For each approved claim, EDD deposited benefit funds into a debit card account administered by
Bank of America and under the identity of the putative claimant. Bank of America then mailed
unauthorized debit cards to addresses under the control of the defendants. Under the direction of
Bakare and others, Adeyinka and Sangode then obtained these debit cards and their PINs and
used these cards to withdraw cash at ATMs for the benefit of themselves and coconspirators.
At least 15 debit cards that Adeyinka used during the conspiracy were linked to bank accounts
that received approximately $237,911 in fraudulent UI and PUA benefits. Adeyinka was
personally involved in $793,844 in attempted loss. And at least 53 debit cards that Sangode used
during the conspiracy were linked to bank accounts that received approximately $752,142 in
fraudulent UI and PUA benefits.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector
General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security – Office of
Inspector General – Covid Fraud Unit, and the California EDD – Investigation Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of
five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of
Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in
the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic
relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces use
prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole
pandemic relief funds.
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