In a major crackdown on financial fraud, the FBI has arrested two Nigerian nationals, Nosakhare Nobore and Solomon Aluko, for orchestrating a sophisticated COVID-19 relief scam that drained $50 million from government programs and unsuspecting Americans.
According to an indictment unsealed on March 20, 2025, by Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky of the Southern District of New York, the duo operated from New Jersey and, alongside four co-conspirators, ran a fraudulent scheme between 2021 and 2025 with the goal of stealing $80 million.
Authorities revealed that Nobore and Aluko created a Telegram channel called “2021 Fraud Bible,” which provided detailed instructions on how to commit fraud, allowing criminals to exploit relief programs designed to support struggling businesses and individuals during the pandemic.
The scam centered on counterfeiting and fraudulently obtaining U.S. Treasury checks linked to the Employee Retention Credit and Qualified Sick Leave Wages credit. These illicitly acquired funds were funneled into fake accounts before being cashed out or redirected to accounts controlled by the criminals.
Read Also: Customs intercepts $578,000 falsely declared by passenger at Lagos airport
Investigators uncovered that a bank teller at a major U.S. bank allegedly assisted in the scheme by customizing accounts to facilitate the illicit transactions. The indictment also named co-conspirators Jorge Gonzalez, Leonard Ujkic, Nicholas Pappas, and Shan Anand, all of whom played key roles in the operation.
Podolsky condemned the fraud as an exploitation of critical relief efforts meant to help Americans during the pandemic, vowing that law enforcement would ensure those responsible face justice.
Nobore, Aluko, and their accomplices are charged with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, they face lengthy prison sentences, reinforcing the U.S. government’s zero-tolerance stance on fraud targeting essential public support programs.