A 47-year-old Nigerian national, Newton Ofioritse Jemide, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for his role in a massive disaster fraud scheme.
Jemide was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the US government by stealing identities and using them to obtain federal relief funds meant for victims of natural disasters.
Jemide and his accomplices stole identities of American citizens and used them to open Green Dot debit card accounts, which were then used to apply for federal benefits from FEMA. The scheme resulted in FEMA disbursing at least $8 million in fraudulent payouts, with $500 being paid out per claim onto compromised debit cards.
The 47-year-old coordinated the scheme, instructing co-conspirators on how to withdraw or cash out the money and taking steps to cover their tracks.
He was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $520,431.83 in restitution and forfeit $311,036.64 to the US government.
The case highlights the severity of disaster fraud and the efforts of US authorities to prosecute those involved in such schemes..
Jemide, was sentenced on Tuesday, July 1, by Judge Deborah K. Chasanow of a U.S. District Court following his extradition from France. He was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by fraudulently obtaining federal relief funds meant for victims of natural disasters.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com