A Nigerian resident of California, Abiola Femi Quadri, has been sentenced to 135 months in a U.S. federal prison for defrauding California and Nevada of over \$1.3 million in pandemic-related unemployment and disability benefits. Quadri, 43, was convicted for his involvement in a scheme that submitted more than 100 fraudulent applications using stolen identities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Court documents revealed that part of the stolen funds was used to finance a 120-room resort project in Nigeria, which includes a nightclub and a shopping complex.
The sentence was issued by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu. Quadri was also ordered to pay \$1,356,229 in restitution along with a \$35,000 fine. According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Quadri, a Nigerian citizen, admitted to obtaining U.S. permanent residency through a sham marriage, as detailed in messages to a woman he was not legally married to.
He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on January 2, 2025. Prosecutors stated that he accessed the funds through ATM withdrawals from 2021 until his arrest at Los Angeles International Airport in September 2024, where he was preparing to fly to Nigeria. Authorities said he transferred at least \$500,000 abroad.
Court filings also revealed Quadri failed to disclose his ownership of the Oyins International resort during required financial disclosures. Investigators discovered 17 fake checks worth over \$3.3 million on his phone, along with conversations about how to cash them. Some of the checks were tied to shell companies created under false names used by Quadri.
Further investigations showed he ran a business called *Rock of Peace* in Altadena, California, which was contracted by the state to provide daycare services for children with developmental disabilities. A search of his residence turned up government-issued food assistance cards intended for children under his care.
The case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department’s Investigation Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section.
Source : https://guardian.ng/
