A US court has sentenced Nigerian pastor Edward Oluwasanmi to 27 months in prison for COVID-19 relief fund fraud.
Oluwasanmi and his friend, Osun monarch Oba Joseph Oloyede, were accused of fraudulently obtaining $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Here’s what we know.
Oluwasanmi was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment on counts one, 11, and 12 of the indictment, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
He was ordered to pay a fine of $15,000 and report to the U.S. Marshal Service.
Oluwasanmi will forfeit a commercial property on 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio.
Oba Joseph Oloyede, who pleaded guilty to some charges, will be sentenced on August 1 and has already forfeited his property to the US government.
Both men were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
The US Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans affected by the pandemic, including loans to small businesses and non-profit entities experiencing revenue loss.
Oluwasanmi and Oloyede allegedly submitted falsified applications, including fake tax and wage documents, to secure funds meant for struggling businesses.
