A Nigerian Visitor Sentenced in the U.S. Over $1.3 Million COVID-19 Fraud.

Category: Health |
A Nigerian Visitor Sentenced in the U.S. Over $1.3 Million COVID-19 Fraud.

Nigeria TV Info reports:

A 43-year-old Nigerian man named Abiola Femi Quadri, residing in San Gabriel Valley, United States, has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for leading a massive fraud scheme that stole over $1.3 million in COVID-19 unemployment and disability benefits from the states of California and Nevada.

According to court records, Quadri used more than 100 stolen identities to file fraudulent claims and used the proceeds to build a nightclub and a large shopping complex in Nigeria. It was also discovered that he transferred at least $500,000 overseas during the execution of the scheme.

U.S. District Judge George H. Wu handed down the sentence and ordered Quadri to pay $1,356,229 in restitution along with a $35,000 fine. The sentence was announced in a statement released on Thursday, July 10, 2025, by Ciaran McEvoy, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California.

Court documents also revealed that Quadri obtained U.S. permanent residency through a sham marriage, which he admitted in messages sent to a woman who was not his wife. He pleaded guilty on January 2 to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Quadri was arrested in September 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport while attempting to flee to Nigeria. From 2021 until his arrest, he had been withdrawing fraudulent funds from various ATMs.

Abiola Femi Quadri Nigerian man San Gabriel Valley United States COVID-19 fraud unemployment benefits disability benefits California Nevada $1.3 million 135 months prison stolen identities.