Crime, Featured, Foreign
By Christabel Ejenike
A 43-year-old Nigerian socialite, Femi Quadri, has been arrested in the United States for allegedly stealing the identities of 91 American citizens to scam them out of their COVID-19 and disability benefits.
Quadri was taken into custody on September 20, just hours before he was scheduled to fly to Dubai, where authorities believed he planned to evade prosecution.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Quadri used stolen personal identifying information, including Social Security numbers, to collect disability, unemployment, and COVID-19 benefits worth over $1.1 million between 2020 and 2024.
The California Employment Development Department, EDD, had issued debit cards to eligible unemployed and disabled citizens, which Quadri used to withdraw funds after applying for benefits using fake certifications from real doctors.
An investigator found that Quadri defrauded 19 disabled Americans, stealing $210,156, and scammed the US government of $881,192 using stolen identities of 72 unemployed Americans.
The surveillance footage showed Quadri withdrawing cash using debit cards of different EDD beneficiaries and pictures from his social media pages matched the clothing he wore during the withdrawals.
Quadri’s bank records revealed wire transfers of over $500,000 to four Chinese companies.
He faces charges of aggravated identity theft and bank and wire fraud, which could lead to deportation and stiff penalties.
Quadri is scheduled for arraignment on October 29 and is currently in the custody of the US Marshal Service.
8th October, 2024.
C.E.
Tags: Bank of America Employment Development Department Femi Quadri US District Court US Marshal Service
