Half a million stolen in COVID-19 fraud scheme, 3 men sentenced to prison

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Three men were convicted for an international fraud scheme which stole over half a million dollars in federal and state unemployment benefits intended for COVID-19 relief.

Kamaldeen Karole, 24, Stephen Olamigoke, 23, and Johnson Omodusoneu, 24, were all ordered to pay $520,000 in restitution for the fraud scheme. Olamigoke, from Nigeria, was also ordered to be removed from the U.S. after he completes his prison sentence.

Court documents say between August and October 2020, the three stole 168 Unemployment Insurance debit cards and PIN numbers. The cards were issued by California, Arizona, and Nevada. “None of the cards belonged to members of the conspiracy–they were all in the names of other individuals,” a press release says.

In the scheme, members of the conspiracy outside of U.S. soil stole personal information and then file “numerous false unemployment claims with various state workforce agencies,” court documents say.

98 of those debit cards were used to withdraw cash from ATMs around Indianapolis, “often making multiple withdrawals within the span of just a few minutes. In total, they completed 529 withdrawals, stealing $520,910 in benefits.”

“Stealing unemployment benefits meant to help people survive during one of the worst crises in modern history is both heartless and criminal,” Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana said in the press release. “These defendants exploited a system designed to support those in genuine need, and now they are being held accountable for their greed thanks to the diligent work of our federal partners and prosecutor.

Karole was sentenced to 4 years in prison, Olamigoke recieved 2.5 years in prison, and Omodusonu will spend 2 years in prison.

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