A 60-year-old Nigerian national, Akinpelumi Olawale Oyewusi, has pleaded guilty in a United States federal court to charges arising from his involvement in a cross-country unemployment insurance fraud scheme.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the guilty plea on Thursday, August 20, 2026, saying Oyewusi, a resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, was involved in a scheme that defrauded state workforce authorities of unemployment insurance (UI) funds.

Oyewusi pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, Oyewusi and his co-conspirators operated the scheme between September 2020 and at least March 2021, using the personal information of real people to file fraudulent unemployment claims in Maryland and other states.

The conspirators used victims’ names and Social Security numbers but falsified their employment and unemployment information to obtain the benefits.

The fraudulent funds were deposited onto bank-issued debit cards, which were mailed to addresses controlled by members of the conspiracy. Oyewusi subsequently withdrew and transferred the stolen funds, while receiving a portion of the proceeds.

Prosecutors said Oyewusi was directly linked to at least $415,874.63 in actual losses and personally obtained at least $25,000 from the scheme.

Bank records showed that he withdrew approximately $69,000 from fraudulent unemployment insurance debit cards. Between December 2020 and March 2021, ATM surveillance captured him making at least 18 withdrawals totalling $18,000 from cards linked to six fraudulent claims.

The Department of Justice said Oyewusi also received U.S. Postal Service mail alerts that enabled him to track the delivery of fraudulent UI debit cards.

Sentencing has been scheduled for December 3, 2026. A federal judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The prosecution forms part of the U.S. government's broader efforts to combat fraud involving federal benefit programmes.

Nigerian man pleads guilty to cross-country unemployment insurance fraud scheme in US

60-Year-Old Nigerian Pleads Guilty to $415,000 US Unemployment Fraud

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