FBI Arrests Nigerian-American While Attempting to Flee U.S. Amidst COVID-19 Contract Fraud Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a Nigerian-American citizen, Ifediora Oli, while he was attempting to flee the United States with his family. Oli, 41, was taken into custody on April 2 in Silver Spring, Maryland, on charges related to a COVID-19 testing kit contract procurement fraud involving the Washington D.C. transit authority. According to the FBI, Oli conspired with two others to defraud the authority through a contract worth over $650,000.

Oli, an employee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, operated a side business, Highbury Global Group, Inc., which received a contract to supply COVID-19 testing kits to the District of Columbia’s Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS). He conspired with co-conspirator 1, a staff member at the Metropolitan Transit Authority “WMATA,” and co-conspirator 2, a contract specialist at the Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP), to secure the contract and share the proceeds.

Court documents reveal that Oli quickly purchased plane tickets for himself, his partner, and his daughter as soon as he learned of the FBI’s investigation into his handling of the contract. However, FBI Special Agent Deborah Frye had already gathered evidence linking him to the fraudulent scheme, leading to his arrest at his Maryland home.

The evidence collected by the FBI shows that co-conspirator 2 used her position at the OCP to influence the contract award to Oli’s company, and that Oli directed significant payments to co-conspirator 1, with explicit instructions to pass along a portion to co-conspirator 2 as a reward for her assistance in securing the contract.

Oli’s arrest prevented his attempted escape and highlighted the FBI’s commitment to prosecuting those involved in defrauding the U.S. government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s fraud, public corruption, and civil rights section is leading the prosecution, with attorney Timothy Visser representing the government. Oli’s defense attorney, John Iweanoge, has not yet provided any comments on the case.