A United States District Court has sentenced Nigerian pastor Edward Oluwasanmi to 27 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
His associate, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, who also pleaded guilty, forfeited property to the US government ahead of his sentencing scheduled for August 1.
The duo were arrested in early 2024 and charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and engaging in transactions involving criminally derived property.
Presiding Judge Christopher Boyko of the US District Court in Ohio handed Oluwasanmi the sentence on Wednesday, July 2. He is also to pay a $15,000 fine and surrender himself to the U.S. Marshal Service.
Court documents revealed both men submitted fraudulent applications for COVID-19 assistance programs between April 2020 and February 2022, using forged tax and payroll records to secure pandemic relief funds.
Oba Oloyede, a U.S.-based accountant and information systems expert, used companies such as Available Tax Services Incorporated and Available Financial Corporation to perpetrate the fraud, according to court filings.
Oluwasanmi will forfeit a commercial property located at 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio, as part of the judgment.
The Osun State Government has maintained a cautious stance regarding Oba Oloyede’s traditional status, awaiting the court’s final ruling before taking any action.
State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, said, “A person is innocent until a court convicts them. So, we don’t want to jump the gun; let us wait for the court’s pronouncement on the matter.”