A Nigerian pastor has been sentenced to 27 months in prison in the United States for his involvement in a fraud scheme related to COVID-19 relief funds.
Edward Oluwasanmi was found guilty of submitting fake applications to receive money from government programs designed to help businesses during the pandemic.
He was also ordered to pay a fine of $15,000 and will be under supervision for three years after his prison term.
Additionally, the court ordered the confiscation of a commercial property he owns in Ohio.
Oluwasanmi’s associate, Oba Joseph Oloyede, a monarch from Osun State and an accountant in the U.S., also faced charges and has already admitted guilt.
He is set to be sentenced soon and has forfeited property to the U.S. government as part of the case.
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The fraudulent activities took place between April 2020 and February 2022 and involved using fake tax documents to obtain over $4.2 million in assistance meant for struggling businesses due to the pandemic.
Oloyede used several companies to carry out the scam.
In response to the issues surrounding Oloyede, the Osun State government stated that they are monitoring the situation closely and will wait for the court’s decision before taking any action.
A government official said it’s important to remember that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Meanwhile, Oloyede’s absence from public events has already led the state government to begin looking into the matter.
