Nigerian Man Sentenced for $5M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

Adepoju Babatunde Salako, a 34-year-old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for his involvement in a multi-million dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. The U.S.

District Court's sentencing was announced in a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Salako pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy. His fraudulent activities included obtaining $5 million from COVID-19 relief programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and multiple state unemployment benefits.

As part of his plea agreement, he also agreed to plead guilty to seven additional counts of wire fraud. The U.S.

District Court for Alaska ordered Salako to pay $2,581,002.50 in restitution to the victims of the fraud. Peter McNeill, the U.S.

Attorney for the District of Colorado, emphasized the government's commitment to prosecuting financial crimes, while Amanda Prestegard, a special agent in charge of the criminal investigation in the Denver field office, described Salako as a key figure in the operation.