12th July 2025 | By Peter Omopo
A United States federal court has sentenced Nigerian national, Abiola Femi Quadri, to 135 months (over 11 years) in prison for orchestrating a $1.3 million COVID-19 unemployment and disability benefits fraud scheme targeting the states of California and Nevada.
Quadri, 43, who resided in the San Gabriel Valley area of California, was found guilty of submitting more than 100 fraudulent claims using stolen identities to siphon pandemic-related relief funds. He used the illicit proceeds to finance luxury construction projects in Nigeria, including a 120-room hotel, a nightclub, and a shopping mall.
According to a press release issued by Ciaran McEvoy, Public Information Officer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Quadri was sentenced by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu on Thursday, July 10. In addition to the prison term, he was ordered to pay $1,356,229 in restitution and a $35,000 fine.
Court documents revealed that Quadri had entered the United States through a fraudulent marriage, which he admitted in text messages to a woman who was not his legal spouse. He later obtained permanent residency.
Quadri pleaded guilty on January 2, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Quadri accessed the fraudulent funds through ATMs between 2021 and his arrest in September 2024. He was apprehended at Los Angeles International Airport while attempting to flee to Nigeria.
Prosecutors also disclosed that he had transferred at least $500,000 abroad during the course of the scheme, which he used to finance the Oyins International resort in Nigeria, featuring upscale facilities such as a nightclub and a mall.
