A Nigerian citizen, Nosa Edokpaigbe, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his involvement in a large-scale fraud scheme targeting COVID-19 relief programs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced that Edokpaigbe was also ordered to pay over $1.4 million in restitution and forfeit nearly $682,000 following his guilty plea to one count of wire fraud. After completing his sentence, he will be removed from the United States and returned to Nigeria.
According to court documents, between July 2020 and May 2021, Edokpaigbe submitted hundreds of fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans using personal information belonging to other individuals and fictitious business entities. He signed loan agreements under false names, created fake documents, used wireless hotspots to hide his online activities, and employed AI-generated images along with mannequin photos to bypass lenders’ identity checks. During his arrest in October 2023, authorities seized a wireless hotspot from his residence. In addition to these activities, Edokpaigbe filed hundreds of fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities.
As a result of this scheme, approximately $1.39 million was disbursed through EIDL and PPP loans into bank accounts opened with false identities.
United States Attorney Peter McNeilly stated: “While others were struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nosa Edokpaigbe saw the national emergency as an opportunity to fleece American taxpayers out of almost $1.4 million. His shameless exploitation of relief programs which were supposed to be a lifeline for people in need has earned him several years in federal prison and a one-way trip back to Nigeria.”
Marv Massey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Denver added: “Nosa Edokpaigbe took advantage of what he saw as easy money through programs that were created to keep businesses and workers afloat during the pandemic, misdirecting that assistance to line his own pockets. His greed affects every American taxpayer, and the FBI will continue to aggressively pursue opportunists who think they can defraud the federal government.”
The sentencing was overseen by United States District Judge Regina M. Rodriguez.
The investigation involved both the Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver Field Office and the Cybercrime Investigations Division at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Cassidy and Anna Edgar prosecuted the case.
Members of the public with information about attempted COVID-19 related fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 866-720-5721 or submitting details via the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
