Sakiru Olanrewaju Ambali, a Nigerian citizen residing in Canada, has made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, USA, for his alleged involvement in defrauding pandemic unemployment benefit programs in multiple U.S. states. The arrest was a result of joint international efforts, as Ambali was detained in Germany in February 2023 while traveling from Nigeria to Canada and was later extradited to the U.S.
Ambali, along with codefendant Fatiu Ismaila Lawal, is accused of using stolen identities to submit fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits in over 25 U.S. states, including Washington State. The duo allegedly exploited the identities of thousands of Americans, filing over 1,700 fraudulent claims for COVID-19 pandemic assistance and false tax returns seeking refunds, amounting to approximately $25 million. The conspirators obtained around $2.4 million, primarily from pandemic unemployment benefits.
Using various tactics, including Google accounts and fraudulent domain names, Ambali and Lawal filed hundreds of claims for pandemic unemployment benefits, attempted to defraud the Small Business Administration with Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), and used stolen identities to open bank accounts to receive funds from their fraudulent activities.
Lawal remains in Canada, pending extradition, while Ambali faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The conspiracy and wire fraud charges carry a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years, while aggravated identity theft mandates a minimum of two years in prison, consecutive to any other imposed prison time.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Washington State Employment Security Division (ESD), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Small Business Administration (SBA). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy Chang and Seth Wilkinson of the Western District of Washington.
