A United States District Court has sentenced a France-based Nigerian, Newton Ofioritse Jemide, to three years and five months in prison for his role in an $8 million disaster relief fraud.
Jemide, 47, was sentenced by Judge Deborah K. Chasanow following his extradition from France earlier this year. He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).
The case stems from a scheme involving the fraudulent collection of federal emergency benefits meant for victims of wildfires across the U.S. between 2016 and 2017.
Investigations revealed that Jemide and a network of co-conspirators in Nigeria and the United States stole personal identities of U.S. citizens to open Green Dot debit card accounts.
These accounts were then used to apply for and receive disaster relief payments from agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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According to the DoJ, “co-conspirators in the U.S. were directed to purchase hundreds of Green Dot debit cards, which were registered using stolen identities by other co-conspirators in Nigeria.”
The fraudulent claims led to FEMA and other federal bodies depositing funds typically $500 per claim onto the debit cards, amounting to over $8 million in stolen benefits.
Jemide reportedly coordinated cash withdrawals and purchases through various individuals to hide his identity. The illicit funds were laundered via multiple store locations, bank branches, and money orders payable to other people and businesses.
Following his conviction, the court ordered Jemide to pay $520,431.83 in restitution and forfeit $311,036.64 to the U.S. government.
In addition to the 41-month prison term, he will also serve three years of supervised release upon completing his sentence.
The U.S. authorities praised the international cooperation that led to Jemide’s extradition and conviction, noting their continued commitment to combating cross-border fraud targeting American federal programs.
