Nigerian National Sentenced for Major COVID-19 Relief Fraud
A 29-year-old Nigerian man, Temitope Bashua, has been sentenced to federal prison in the United States for orchestrating a sophisticated fraud scheme that stole nearly $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
The United States District Court in Baltimore, Maryland handed down the sentence on November 20, 2025, with Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher presiding over the case.
Details of the Fraud Scheme
According to court documents and his plea agreement, Bashua admitted to participating in a conspiracy that operated from May 2020 through September 2022. The scheme involved submitting fraudulent unemployment insurance claims by impersonating victims.
Bashua and his accomplices used stolen personal identification information without the victims' knowledge or consent to file false applications for unemployment benefits in both Maryland and California.
In October 2020, the conspiracy expanded when co-conspirators submitted two fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications to the Small Business Administration. These applications used the identities of victims and were for fictitious businesses.
Financial Impact and Additional Crimes
The fraudulent EIDL applications resulted in Bashua receiving more than $290,000 in U.S. Treasury funds that were intended to help legitimate businesses struggling during the pandemic.
Beyond the COVID-19 relief fraud, Bashua also confessed to involvement in several other criminal schemes including:
- Cyber intrusion attacks
- Romance fraud schemes
- Business email compromise fraud
The sentence includes 30 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release. The funds were obtained through programs established by the CARES Act, which was signed into law in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance during the COVID-19 economic crisis.
The investigation involved multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
