Nigerian pastor jailed in US over COVID-19 fraud

Edward Oluwasanmi, a Nigerian pastor, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison by a United States court for defrauding the U.S. government of $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

Oluwasanmi was arrested in April 2024 alongside Joseph Oloyede, the traditional ruler of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Nigeria. Both were charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.

According to court documents, between April 2020 and February 28, 2022, Oluwasanmi and Oloyede submitted fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs), using companies they controlled. The applications included false information and were supported by fabricated tax and wage documents.

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Oluwasanmi used his companies, Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated, to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars. The funds were later diverted to personal expenses, in violation of U.S. federal laws.

In February 2025, both defendants pleaded guilty to select charges and entered into plea agreements.

On July 2, Judge Christopher Boyko of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio sentenced Oluwasanmi to 27 months in prison on counts 1, 11, and 12 of the indictment. The judge ordered that the sentences be served concurrently.

“Defendant sentenced to 27 months on Counts 1, 11 and 12 of the indictment, to be served concurrently,” the judgment read.

In addition to the prison term, Oluwasanmi was ordered to forfeit $1.3 million to the U.S. government. The court has not yet ruled in the case against Joseph Oloyede, who remains the first defendant in the matter.