Abiola Femi Quadri, a Nigerian Yahoo Boy living in the San Gabriel Valley, has been sentenced to 135 months (over 11 years) in a U.S. prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.3 million in COVID-19 unemployment and disability benefits from California and Nevada.
United States District Judge George H. Wu also ordered Quadri, 43, of Pasadena, to pay $1,356,229 in restitution and a $35,000 fine. Quadri pleaded guilty on January 2 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to court documents, Quadri submitted over 100 fraudulent applications using stolen identities to claim pandemic-related benefits. He withdrew the funds from ATMs between 2021 and his arrest in September 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport, where he was about to board a flight to Nigeria.
Investigators revealed that Quadri sent at least $500,000 from the stolen funds abroad. He used the money to finance the construction of a 120-room resort hotel in Nigeria, called Oyins International, which features a nightclub, a mall, and other upscale amenities. He failed to disclose ownership of this property during his financial reporting to the court.
Authorities discovered 17 counterfeit checks, worth more than $3.3 million, on Quadri’s phone, some of which were payable to shell companies registered under his aliases.
Quadri had received payments to provide daycare services for developmentally disabled children through his Altadena business, Rock of Peace. Agents also found misappropriated food-aid debit cards intended for these children during a search of his residence.
Quadri, a Nigerian citizen, gained U.S. permanent residency reportedly through a “fake wedding” scheme.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department Investigation Division conducted the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section.
This sentencing highlights ongoing efforts to combat pandemic-related fraud and protect public assistance programs.
