A Nigerian citizen, Temitope Bashua, 29, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release for participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher in Baltimore.
The case was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with officials from the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, and the Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG).
According to court documents and Bashua’s plea agreement, between May 2020 and September 2022, Bashua conspired with others to use stolen personal information to submit fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Maryland and California without the victims’ knowledge or consent. In October 2020, co-conspirators also submitted two fraudulent EIDL applications to the Small Business Administration using fake business names and stolen identities. These actions resulted in Bashua receiving over $290,000 from the SBA.
Bashua admitted his involvement in additional schemes including cyber intrusion, romance fraud, and business email compromise fraud.
The federal government established relief programs such as those under the CARES Act during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide financial assistance to individuals and businesses facing economic hardship. The Paycheck Protection Program and EIDL were among these initiatives; EIDL advances did not require repayment and could be received even if a loan application was denied.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five such groups created by the Department of Justice across the country to investigate large-scale pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations or transnational actors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised DOL-OIG, HSI Baltimore, and DHS-OIG for their investigative work on this case. She also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Motsay and Bijon Mostoufi for prosecuting it.
For more information about COVID-19 related fraud or reporting suspected cases, visit justice.gov/coronavirus or call the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.
Additional resources regarding the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office are available at justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
