A 60-year-old Nigerian, Akinpelumi Olawale Oyewusi, has pleaded guilty to his role in a US unemployment insurance fraud scheme that caused more than $415,000 in losses.
Oyewusi, who lives in Hyattsville, Maryland, admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a US federal court.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced his guilty plea on Thursday.
Prosecutors said Oyewusi and his co-conspirators ran the scheme between September 2020 and March 2021.
The group used the identities of real people to file false unemployment insurance claims. They targeted state workforce agencies in Maryland and other states.
The suspects used victims’ names and Social Security numbers. They also provided false information about their employment history and unemployment status.
The fraudulent claims allowed the group to receive unemployment insurance payments.
According to prosecutors, the US unemployment insurance fraud caused at least $415,874.63 in actual losses.
Oyewusi personally received at least $25,000 from the scheme.
Investigators said he accessed the stolen funds through electronic transfers and ATM withdrawals. He also transferred some of the money to other members of the group.
Prosecutors said Oyewusi tracked fraudulent unemployment insurance debit cards through postal alerts. He then withdrew money from cards issued in victims’ names.
Court records showed that Oyewusi made several withdrawals from the fraudulent cards.
Between December 2020 and March 2021, ATM photographs captured him withdrawing $18,000 from cards linked to six fraudulent claims.
Bank records also showed that he withdrew about $69,000 from the same unemployment insurance debit cards.
The investigation linked Oyewusi directly to the stolen funds.
The court has scheduled Oyewusi’s sentencing for December 3, 2026, at 2 p.m.
The case forms part of a wider US investigation into fraud involving unemployment insurance programmes and identity theft.
The investigation involved the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the US Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
