Nigerian national sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for COVID-related fraud
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado says that a man has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for COVID-related fraud. He got away with $1,389,713 before getting caught, according to officials.
According to court documents, Nosa Edokpaigbe, who prosecutors say is a Nigerian national, submitted hundreds of fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications. The applications used fake businesses but personal information belonging to real individuals.
“While others were struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nosa Edokpaigbe saw the national emergency as an opportunity to fleece American taxpayers out of almost $1.4 million,” said United States Attorney Peter McNeilly in a press release. “His shameless exploitation of relief programs which were supposed to be a lifeline for people in need has earned him several years in federal prison and a one-way trip back to Nigeria.”
Edokpaigbe even used AI-generated images and mannequins to bypass lenders' identification verification processes, prosecutors say.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, he has been ordered to pay $1,408,897.16 in restitution. After serving his prison sentence, he will be deported to Nigeria, prosecutors say.
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