A Nigerian man residing in the San Gabriel Valley has been sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for defrauding California and Nevada out of $1.3 million in COVID-19 pandemic unemployment and disability insurance benefits. Abiola Femi Quadri, 43, from Pasadena, was found guilty of submitting over 100 fraudulent applications using stolen identities. The funds were used to construct a nightclub and mall in Nigeria.
United States District Judge George H. Wu presided over the sentencing and ordered Quadri to pay $1,356,229 in restitution along with a $35,000 fine. Court documents revealed that Quadri obtained permanent residency in the United States through what he referred to as a “fake wedding” in messages to a woman who was not his wife. He pleaded guilty on January 2 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
From 2021 until his arrest at Los Angeles International Airport in September 2024, Quadri withdrew the fraudulent benefits at ATMs. He had planned to fly to Nigeria when apprehended. During this scheme, he sent at least $500,000 abroad and funded the construction of Oyins International, a 120-room resort hotel in Nigeria featuring a nightclub and mall. Quadri failed to disclose his ownership of this hotel when completing financial disclosures required by the court.
Investigators discovered images of 17 counterfeit checks totaling more than $3.3 million on Quadri’s phone along with messages discussing their negotiation. Some checks were made payable to shell businesses under Quadri’s aliases.
Additionally, California compensated Quadri for providing daycare services through his Altadena-based business Rock of Peace for developmentally disabled children. Agents searching his residence found misappropriated food-aid debit cards intended for these children.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown from the Major Frauds Section prosecuted the case.
