Following their guilty pleas to charges of COVID-19 relief fraud, Nigerian preacher Edward Oluwasanmi and Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, might face jail time in the United States.
In July 2019, Oba Oloyede, an accountant and information system specialist from the United States, was named the new Apetu.
The monarch and Oluwasanmi were arrested in early 2024 for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $4.2m in COVID-19 relief funds.
The two men were charged with 13 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
They were arraigned before Justice Christopher Boyko of the US District Court of Ohio.
The Intercept had exclusively reported the arraignment of Oloyede while residents of Ipetumodu were at a loss over his disappearance from the community after a trip abroad.
Our correspondent had reported that there was anxiety in the community after the 62-year-old was absent from several important festivals that required his presence.
After investigating, The Intercept confirmed that the monarch was being held by the US authorities.
According to court documents obtained by our correspondent, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi submitted falsified applications for Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the US Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act between April 2020 and February 2022, using fake tax and wage documents to secure funds meant to support struggling businesses during the pandemic.
In order to obtain funds intended to assist struggling businesses during the pandemic, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi made fraudulent applications for Pay cheque Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the US Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act between April 2020 and February 2022. They did this by using fictitious tax and wage documents, according to court documents our correspondent was able to obtain.
The Act was created to give Americans who were enduring the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic immediate financial aid by lending money to small companies and nonprofit organisations that had lost income as a result of the epidemic.
Additionally, the Act gave the US Small Business Administration permission to give small firms loans or advances of up to $10,000.
Prior to his enthronement, Oba Oloyede was headquartered in Medina, Ohio. He was charged with defrauding the government through the COVID-19 relief fund by utilising many of his businesses, including Available Tax Services Incorporated, Available Financial Corporation, and Available Transportation Company.
Oluwasanmi was also charged with violating US federal laws by allegedly utilising his businesses, Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated, to earn millions of dollars that he then utilised for his purposes.
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According to court filings, Oba Oloyede and Oluwasanmi, among other things, illegally acquired the sum of $3.76m from the US Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans scheme.
After roughly one year in court, the duo pleaded guilty to some of the charges and might face some prison sentences.
Through his attorney, Henry Hilow, Oluwasanmi entered a guilty plea to counts one, eleven, and twelve of the indictment on April 10.
He was charged with using some of the proceeds of the fraud to buy a commercial property located at 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio, by wire transfer and depositing funds into a Dayspring transportation broking account.
The document stated, “Guilty plea entered to counts 1, 11 and 12 of the indictment. Plea agreement executed. Sentencing set for July 2.
Oba Oloyede entered his guilty plea in front of the court on Monday, April 21.
The judge scheduled his plea hearing on Thursday, April 24.
Community leaders and chiefs have been reacting to Oba Oloyede’s prolonged absence, particularly after he allegedly destroyed the town’s palace and promised to construct a suitable one when he returned from his vacation prior to his arrest.
Some locals are calling for the state government to look into the case and step in after hearing about his trial in the US.
