US Court Jails Nigerian For 11 Years Over $1.3m Fraud Scheme

A Nigerian man, Abiola Quadri, has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison in the United States for orchestrating a $1.3 million fraud scheme involving stolen identities to illegally claim COVID-19 unemployment and disability benefits.

The 43-year-old permanent resident of Pasadena, California, used the stolen funds to build a lavish 120-room resort hotel, a shopping mall, and a nightclub in Nigeria, according to U.S. authorities.

In a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed that Quadri submitted hundreds of fraudulent applications using stolen identities to siphon public funds.

“We’re proud that our special agents’ hard work paid off and Quadri will face justice for his crimes,” the agency said, emphasizing the scale of the $1.3 million scheme.

According to ICE’s website, updated on July 16, 2025, Quadri withdrew the stolen funds from ATMs between 2021 and his arrest in September 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport, as he was attempting to travel to Nigeria.

Investigators found that he transferred at least $500,000 overseas to finance the construction of Oyins International Resort in Nigeria, complete with a shopping mall, nightclub, and luxury amenities. Authorities noted that Quadri failed to disclose his ownership of the resort in court-mandated financial disclosures.

Further examination of his phone uncovered 17 counterfeit cheques totalling more than $3.3 million, as well as messages arranging fraudulent transactions. Some of the checks were traced to shell companies registered under various aliases used by Quadri.

He also misused his California-based company, Rock of Peace—contracted to provide daycare services for developmentally disabled children—by misappropriating food-aid debit cards, which were discovered during a search of his residence.

Quadri was sentenced to 135 months in prison on July 10, 2023, by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu in Los Angeles. The court also ordered him to pay $1,356,229 in restitution and a $35,000 fine. Court records revealed that Quadri admitted to acquiring U.S. permanent residency through a “fake wedding”.

Quadri pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on January 2.

“The United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department Investigation Division investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case,” ICE stated.