A United States of America District Judge, Mark Wolf, has scheduled the sentencing of a Nigerian, Yomi Olaleye, for August 13, 2025, after the defendant pleaded guilty to his role in a $10 million COVID-19 fraud.
The US Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement on its website obtained on Thursday.
The statement read, “A Nigerian man was arrested on August 13, 2024, upon arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on charges that he and others conspired to fraudulently obtain at least $10m in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.
“Yomi Jones Olaleye, a.k.a. ‘Sabbie,’ 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
“He made an initial appearance in the Eastern District of New York on August 14, 2024, and will appear in federal court in Boston tomorrow.”
In a follow-up statement obtained on Thursday, the US DoJ noted that Olaleye pleaded guilty to the three counts he was indicted on.
It read, “A Nigerian man has pleaded guilty in connection with a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain at least $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.
“Yomi Jones Olaleye, a.k.a. ‘Sabbie,’ 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Senior United States District Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for August 13, 2025.”
