Nigerian Sentenced to 6 Years for COVID-19 Fraud

Adepoju Babatund Salako, a 34-year-old Nigerian resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison by the United States District Court for his involvement in a $5 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. Salako pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy as part of a plea agreement.

He also agreed to plead guilty to seven additional counts of wire fraud in the District of Alaska. The court ordered Salako to pay $2,581,002.50 in restitution to the victims of his fraudulent activities.

Salako participated in a scheme that exploited economic relief measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, stealing funds from the Paycheck Protection Program and other unemployment benefit programs across 30 states. He, along with two accomplices, used stolen identities to obtain fraudulent loans and laundered the proceeds, primarily through China and Nigeria.

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S.

Postal Service Office of Inspector General condemned Salako's actions, emphasizing the severe penalties for exploiting government resources.