By Ayo Kehinde
A United States District Court has sentenced France-based Nigerian, Newton Ofioritse Jemide, to 41 months in prison for an $8 million disaster relief fraud.
A statement by the US Justice Department (DoJ) said the 47-year-old was extradited from France and pleaded guilty to using stolen identities to obtain federal aid via a Green Dot debit card
Jimide, who was sentenced on Monday, June 30, by Judge Deborah K. Chasanow, following his guilty plea, was also ordered to pay $520,431 in restitution and forfeit $311,036 to the US government.
“US District Judge, Deborah K. Chasanow, sentenced Newton Ofioritse Jemide, 47, a Nigerian national extradited from France, to 41 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal benefits.
“Jemide will also serve three years of supervised release, and pay $520,431.83 of restitution, and a forfeiture money judgment was entered against him in the amount of $311,036.64″, the DoJ said.
According to investigators, Jemide and his conspirators exploited emergency funds meant for wildfire victims between 2016 and 2017 by using stolen identities of US citizens to apply for disaster assistance.
The Justice Department explained that “co-conspirators living in Nigeria then registered the cards with Green Dot using stolen personal information from identity theft victims around the United States. As a result of fraudulent submissions, FEMA and the other federal agencies deposited benefits onto the Green Dot debit cards.”
Jemide reportedly coordinated with co-conspirators in the US to cash out the fraudulent funds, directing them when money became available on the cards and receiving a share of the proceeds.
They used various tactics to hide their identities, including making withdrawals at different banks and stores, using third parties to handle money, and converting the stolen funds into money orders payable to others or corporate accounts.
The DOJ stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dispersed $500 per claim, totalling at least $8 million in fraudulent claims.
