Nigerian National Akinpelumi Oyewusi Admits Guilt in Major US Unemployment Fraud

A 60-year-old Nigerian citizen, Akinpelumi Olawale Oyewusi, has confessed to federal charges in a United States court for his involvement in an extensive unemployment insurance fraud ring. Oyewusi, who resides in Hyattsville, Maryland, entered a guilty plea for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. This information was released in a statement on Thursday by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

This prosecution forms part of the Trump administration’s initiative, the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. The guilty plea was announced by US Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, alongside Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito from the US Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

According to his admission, Oyewusi and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme between September 2020 and at least March 2021 to defraud state workforce authorities, including the Maryland Department of Labor, to illegally obtain unemployment insurance funds. The statement detailed that the conspirators utilized the personal identities of real individuals to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance claims to the state of Maryland and other states.

Upon gaining access to these illicit funds, Oyewusi allegedly moved and withdrew the stolen money through electronic transfers and ATM transactions. The statement further indicated that Oyewusi and his associates victimized individuals through identity theft, state workforce authorities by stealing unemployment insurance funds, and a financial institution by misdirecting unemployment insurance fund transfers and executing fraudulent transactions.

Oyewusi’s direct involvement is linked to actual losses amounting to at least $415,874.63, and he personally profited by at least $25,000 from his participation in the scheme. The co-conspirators reportedly used victims’ personally identifiable information to submit false unemployment insurance claims to various state workforce authorities, including the Maryland Department of Labor and the California Employment Development Department. These claims contained legitimate Social Security numbers and names but fabricated the victims' unemployment status and previous work history to secure unemployment insurance funds.

The conspirators received the funds through debit cards issued by banks and linked to various bank accounts, with these cards being mailed to addresses in Maryland and other locations. Oyewusi then accessed the funds from these fraudulently opened claims and, after taking his share, transferred the remaining money to other members of the conspiracy. Throughout the operation, Oyewusi also received incoming mail alerts from the US Postal Service, which enabled him to track the fraudulent unemployment insurance debit cards. He subsequently withdrew thousands of dollars from the cards issued under the victims' names.

“Typically, Oyewusi withdrew the maximum amount allowed from each card,” the statement confirmed. Between December 2020 and March 2021, at least 18 ATM photographs captured Oyewusi withdrawing a total of $18,000 from unemployment insurance debit cards linked to six distinct fraudulent claims. Bank records further revealed that Oyewusi withdrew approximately $69,000 from the same unemployment insurance debit cards over the duration of the scheme. Oyewusi’s sentencing is slated for Thursday, December 3, at 2 p.m.