$350,000 scam: Arrested Ogun gov aide faces US hearing today

Abidemi Rufai, Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, arrested in the US over alleged $350,000 employment scam, is scheduled to face a detention hearing today (Wednesday).
He was said to have used the stolen identities of more than 100 Washington residents to file fraudulent claims with ESD for pandemic-related unemployment benefits.
According to a statement by Acting United States Attorney Tessa Gorman, Rufai, who was arrested on Friday evening at JFK Airport in New York, will face a criminal charge of wire fraud “for his scheme to steal over $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department.”
Embarrassed by his arrest, the Ogun State Government has promptly relieved him of his job and dissociated itself from the employment scam.
Wire fraud is punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison when it relates to benefits paid in connection with a presidentially-declared disaster or emergency.
Details of his arrest and alleged crime are contained in the statement from the US, titled, ‘Nigerian citizen charged with defrauding Washington State Employment Security Department of over $350,000’ by the Department’.
The statement disclosed that Rufai who allegedly disguised as ‘Sandy Tang’ made his initial appearance on Saturday in New York.
Gorman said, “Since the first fraud reports to our office in April 2020, we have worked diligently with a federal law enforcement team to track down the criminals who stole funds designated for pandemic relief.
“This is the first, but will not be the last, significant arrest in our ongoing investigation of ESD fraud.”
The statement read in part, “Rufai also filed fraudulent unemployment claims with Hawaii, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania.
“Rufai used variations of a single e-mail address in a manner intended to evade automatic detection by fraud systems.
“By using this practice, Rufai made it appear that each claim was connected with a different email account.
“Rufai caused the fraud proceeds to be paid out to online payment accounts such as ‘Green Dot’ accounts, or wired to bank accounts controlled by ‘money mules.’
“Some of the proceeds were then mailed to the Jamaica, New York address of Rufai’s relative.
“Law enforcement determined more than $288,000 was deposited into an American bank account controlled by Rufai between March and August 2020.
“Greed is a powerful motivator. Unfortunately, the greed alleged to this defendant affects all taxpayers.”
“The FBI and our partners will not stand idly by while individuals attempt to defraud programmes meant to assist American workers and families suffering the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Donald Voiret, Special Agent in Charge FBI Seattle.