COVID-19 Fraud: US Court Jails Pastor As Osun Monarch Forfeits Property

A United States District Court has sentenced a Nigerian pastor, Edward Oluwasanmi, to 27 months’ imprisonment over his involvement in a COVID-19 relief fund fraud scheme.

Also implicated in the case is his associate, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, who has forfeited property to the U.S. government pending his sentencing, scheduled for 1 August 2025.

Both men were arrested in early 2024 for fraudulently obtaining $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds through falsified applications under the U.S. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Oluwasanmi and Oba Oloyede were jointly charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property. The case was heard before Justice Christopher Boyko of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Court documents seen by our correspondent reveal that Judge Boyko, on Wednesday, 2 July, sentenced Oluwasanmi to 27 months’ imprisonment on counts 1, 11, and 12 of the indictment. The sentences are to run concurrently. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and to surrender himself to the U.S. Marshal Service.

As part of the penalty, Oluwasanmi is to forfeit a commercial property located at 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio.

The court also ruled that both defendants must forfeit any real or personal property derived from the proceeds of the fraud. “As a result of the foregoing offences, defendants Joseph Oloyede and Edward Oluwasanmi shall forfeit to the United States all property, real and personal, constituting or derived from proceeds traceable to the commission of the offences,” the judgment read.

Oba Oloyede, who pleaded guilty to counts 1 and 13, will be sentenced on 1 August. The monarch, a U.S.-based accountant and IT systems consultant, was appointed as the Apetu of Ipetumodu in July 2019.

Prosecutors alleged that between April 2020 and February 2022, the duo submitted falsified documents to obtain Paycheck Protection Programme (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) meant to support small businesses affected by the pandemic. They reportedly used fake tax returns and wage reports to bolster their fraudulent applications.

Oba Oloyede was specifically accused of using his companies—Available Tax Services Incorporated, Available Financial Corporation, and Available Transportation Company—to perpetrate the fraud.

In response to the unfolding legal matter, the Osun State Government has maintained a cautious stance. Speaking on Friday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the state was monitoring developments closely and would wait for the court’s final pronouncement before initiating any action.

He stated, “A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We are not prepared to pre-empt the court; we shall await the conclusion of the legal process before taking further steps.”