Nigerian Man Gets 11-Year U.S. Prison Sentence for $1.3M COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

A United States federal court has sentenced Nigerian socialite Abiola Femi Quadri to 11 years and three months in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1.3 million in COVID-19-related unemployment and disability benefits. Quadri, 43, was convicted of submitting more than 100 fake applications using stolen identities to defraud California and Nevada during the pandemic. He used the stolen funds to finance a luxury resort in Nigeria.

The sentence was handed down on Thursday, July 10, 2025, by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu in Los Angeles. In addition to his 135-month prison term, Quadri was ordered to pay $1,356,229 in restitution and a $35,000 fine.

Court documents revealed that Quadri, a Nigerian citizen residing in Pasadena, California, gained U.S. permanent residency through what he referred to in messages as a “fake wedding.” He pleaded guilty on January 2 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Between 2021 and his arrest in September 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport, Quadri withdrew benefits from ATMs and wired at least $500,000 overseas. He was scheduled to board a flight to Nigeria at the time of his arrest.

Authorities say the funds helped finance the construction of Oyins International, a 120-room luxury resort hotel in Nigeria that includes a nightclub, shopping mall, and other high-end features. Quadri failed to disclose his ownership of the property when submitting a financial disclosure to the court.

Investigators also discovered images of 17 counterfeit checks on Quadri’s phone, totaling more than $3.3 million. Many of the checks were linked to shell companies under his various aliases. His Altadena-based business, Rock of Peace, was contracted to provide daycare services to developmentally disabled children, but agents searching his home found misappropriated food-aid debit cards intended for the children.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section led the prosecution.