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 Choose George H. Wu. Along with the 135-month jail sentence, he was ordered to pay $1.35 million in restitution and a $35,000 fantastic.
In line with court docket paperwork, Quadri exploited stolen identities to file over 100 fraudulent claims with unemployment businesses in California and Nevada throughout the peak of the pandemic. He used the proceeds to finance the development of a luxurious lodge and buying advanced 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 least $500,000 overseas. He was intercepted whereas trying to board a flight to Nigeria.
The stolen funds have been used to assist develop “Oyins Worldwide,” a 120-room resort advanced in Nigeria that contains a mall, nightclub, and different upscale facilities. Abiola Femi Quadri did not disclose possession of the property in his necessary court docket {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 underneath numerous aliases. In personal communications, he admitted to coming 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 referred to as Rock of Peace in Altadena, California, which was contracted by the state to offer look after developmentally disabled youngsters. Throughout a search of his residence, legislation enforcement brokers uncovered food-aid debit playing cards meant for the kids, suggesting extra {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.