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Nigerian citizen has been sentenced for collecting more than $660,000 in COVID-19 Unemployment Insurance Benefits through a scam after he pleaded guilty in federal court. According to the Department of Justice, part of that scam happened in East Tennessee.
The DOJ released that Valentine O. Odije, 35, was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on Wednesday. Odije, identified as a Nigerian citizen who is currently residing in Georgia, reportedly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use an unauthorized access device.
According to the DOJ, Odije and his coconspirators used debit cards funded with COVID-19 unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to unlawfully access at least $661,082. Odije was ordered to pay $661,082.19 in restitution and to forfeit another $86,651.61 in cash.
In the plea agreement, Odije admitted that he was recruited into an ongoing scheme by people who were filing fraudulent UI benefit claims during the pandemic and loading them onto debit cards. His role in the scheme was to use those cards to withdraw cash and then purchase money orders.
The DOJ said not only did Odije know the cards were unlawfully funded, he also recruited others to help him get the benefits from the cards, picked which cards those individuals would use and then gave them instructions on how to withdraw cash and purchase money orders.
On July 17, 2020, Odije and his coconspirators were arrested after they used four debit cards to withdraw a collective $23,527.99 at a retail store in the Eastern District of Tennessee. When they were arrested, the DOJ said Odije had 315 debit cards, and 204 had a total of $661,082.19 in unlawfully obtained UI benefits.
The DOJ added that two of Odije’s coconspirators Dianne M. Coffie and Ayeesha Shah have pleaded guilty to conducting unlawful transactions with an access device in district court. Coffie was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to pay $90,000 in restitution. Shah was sentenced to two years probation and was ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution.
