A Nigerian socialite, Abiola Femi Quadri, has been sentenced to 11 years and 3 months (135 months) in a United States federal prison for masterminding a $1.3 million COVID-19 unemployment and disability fraud scheme.
Quadri, 43, who resided in Pasadena, California, used stolen identities to file over 100 fraudulent claims with the California and Nevada unemployment systems during the pandemic.
He used the illegal windfall to fund the construction of a luxury resort in Nigeria.
The sentencing took place on Thursday, July 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge George H. Wu. In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered him to pay $1.35 million in restitution and a $35,000 fine.
Court documents revealed that Quadri confessed to obtaining U.S. permanent residency through a fake marriage, a fact he admitted in private messages to another woman who wasn’t his legal spouse.
From 2021 until his arrest in September 2024 at LAX airport (as he attempted to board a flight to Nigeria), Quadri withdrew the stolen funds from ATMs across California. He was also accused of wiring at least $500,000 abroad.
Investigations further revealed that he financed the development of a 120-room hotel and mall in Nigeria called Oyins International, which includes a nightclub and other high-end amenities. He failed to disclose this asset in his court-required financial statement.
On his phone, agents discovered 17 counterfeit checks worth over $3.3 million and incriminating chats about cashing the forged instruments through shell companies under his aliases.
Quadri also operated a business, Rock of Peace, in Altadena, where he was allegedly paid by the state of California to care for developmentally disabled children. Investigators discovered misappropriated food-aid debit cards meant for the kids in his home.
The case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Brown from the Major Frauds Section led the prosecution.
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