Abiola Femi Quadri, a Nigerian nationals has been jailed 11 years the U.S. over $1.3 million COVID-19 fraud.
Quadri, 43, who resided in Pasadena, California, was sentenced on Thursday, July 10, 2025, by U.S. District Decide George H. Wu. Along with the 135-month jail sentence, he was ordered to pay $1.35 million in restitution and a $35,000 high quality.
Based on courtroom paperwork, Quadri exploited stolen identities to file over 100 fraudulent claims with unemployment businesses in California and Nevada throughout the top of the pandemic. He used the proceeds to finance the development of a luxurious lodge and purchasing complicated in Nigeria.
Investigators disclosed that between 2021 and his arrest in September 2024 at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport, Quadri systematically withdrew the stolen funds from ATMs throughout California and wired at the very least $500,000 overseas. He was intercepted whereas making an attempt to board a flight to Nigeria.
The stolen funds had been used to assist develop “Oyins Worldwide,” a 120-room resort complicated in Nigeria that includes a mall, nightclub, and different upscale facilities. Abiola Femi Quadri did not disclose possession of the property in his necessary courtroom {financial} disclosure.
Authorities additionally found 17 counterfeit checks price over $3.3 million on Quadri’s cellphone, alongside messages detailing plans to money them utilizing shell firms registered below numerous aliases. In non-public communications, he admitted to getting into right into a sham marriage to acquire U.S. everlasting residency—confessing to the fraud in texts with a girl who was not his authorized partner.
Quadri additionally ran a enterprise known as Rock of Peace in Altadena, California, which was contracted by the state to offer look after developmentally disabled kids. Throughout a search of his residence, legislation enforcement brokers uncovered food-aid debit playing cards meant for the youngsters, suggesting further {financial} misappropriation.
The case was the results of a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Safety Investigations, and the California Employment Improvement Division. Assistant U.S. Lawyer Andrew Brown of the Main Frauds Part prosecuted the case.