Mr Rufai is currently enmeshed in a $350,000 COVID-19 unemployment fraud in the United States

By Adejumo Kabir

The United States Department of Justice has written to the United States Magistrate Judge in Eastern District of New York, Ramon Reyes, claiming that the surety provided by Dapo Abiodun’s aide, Abidemi Rufai, is a suspected fraudster.

The Acting U.S. Attorney, Tessa Gorma, in a letter obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, said the “surety is suspect in an investigation into an email impersonation scheme.”

This newspaper reported how Mr Rufai was arrested while trying to get out of the U.S. on May 14.

He was accused of allegedly using the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Mr Rufai has since been suspended by Governor Abiodun.

Last Tuesday, his lawyer, Michael Barrow, said Mr Rufai denied “involvement in these transactions.”

His first appearance in court was Wednesday and he was denied bail because his brother, Alaba Rufai, who is listed in court records, could not post the $300,000 surety bond for his bail.

However, a surety was presented on Friday with the court ruling that a New York state resident and family friend of Mr Rufai could post the bond.

The surety, Nekpen Soyemi, a registered nurse, whose family comes from Nigeria, told the court that she would guarantee the $300,000 bond and allow Mr Rufai to stay at her and her husband’s home.

However, the Magistrate Judge, Mr Reyes, delayed the release of Mr Rufai until May 25 to give enough time to federal prosecutors to appeal the order.

Mr Rufai and a suspected fraudster as surety
The Acting U.S. Attorney, Ms Gorma, said in her letter to the court that Ms Soyemi is a suspected fraudster and should not be allowed to stand surety for Mr Rufai.

“First, the FBI has conducted research into the Surety and has learned information indicating that the Surety is not an appropriate person to perform that role,” the letter partly read.

“In 2015, the Surety’s bank (Bank of America) issued a report naming the Surety as a suspect in an investigation into an email impersonation scheme.

“According to the bank’s report, a person purporting to be a donor deposited $134,000 into the bank account of a legitimate nonprofit. The “donor” (who was never identified) then contacted the non-profit and stated that some of the deposited funds were intended for a different recipient.

“The donor asked the non-profit to wire the excess funds to three different accounts, one of which was a Bank of America account in the Surety’s name. The report indicates that the Surety then made cash withdrawals of the proceeds at two different B of A locations. The Surety did not respond to inquiries from Bank of America.

“Second, FBI’s research was unable to confirm that the Surety owns the listed real property. Mortgage and deed records for the property indicate that it was last purchased by an individual with the initials L.S.G. on November 7, 2014.”

She further said that the FBI could not locate records showing that the Surety has an interest in the property.

“The Surety has also submitted records showing that she has $335 in Robinhood investment account and $1,838 in a checking account. Neither submission suggests the Surety is in a position to secure a $300,000 bond.”

The U.S. government earlier told the court that it is dangerous to release Mr Rufai on bail, claiming the suspect presents an extreme risk of flight and “if he does escape to Nigeria, extradition will be extraordinarily difficult or impossible because of his ties to the Nigerian government.”

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/463347-rufai-u-s-says-surety-provided-by-dapo-abioduns-aide-is-suspected-fraudster.html

Alhamdulillahi.
So there is no good upstanding Nigeria citizen in America?
Even the ambassador?

The Ogun governor should not be ashamed of his boy. The proverbial eyele will keep up loyalty cone what may. Let the governor be his surety.

Double Wahala for Dead Body...

Ode

Association of past and present criminals

Even their overlord tinubu na former heroin kingpin and money launderer, so birds of a feather

It's a normal thing: Thieves make friends with people of questionable character

Dem dem

Double Wahala

Did you know??

Leicester city football club spent more time than any other team in the top four.

But they drop out on the final day

IPOB Fraudsters

Most of these people coming from abroad to govern are fraudsters, drugs dealers, psychopaths etc.

s

it shows that poverty is not why Nigerians commit crime.

GREED is why Nigerians commit crime.

Hushpuppy was already a billionaire in naira, yet he kept stealing. GREED is insatiable, it's like drinking salt water, the more you drink, the thirstier you become.

We have normalized crime. we have normalized evil. Let them continue

Everyone na fraudster...

leofab:
Dem dem

Bigot

dre11:
Mr Rufai is currently enmeshed in a $350,000 COVID-19 unemployment fraud in the United States
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/463347-rufai-u-s-says-surety-provided-by-dapo-abioduns-aide-is-suspected-fraudster.html

Birds of the same feather...
>

Lol

419 + 419
They thought they are in Nigeria where everything goes.

So unfortunately, these are the type of youths representing over 100m Nigerian youths in the political arena...fraudsters criminals, people of questionable past. When they get caught in the web, they'd be lashing out at youths that we cannot govern Nigeria well, that we will mess things up when we get there whereas, we keep having the bad eggs representing the youths all the time because the good ones will hardly be allowed to be a part of governance. He must come through someone who knows one jagaban or one chief or through an imam or a retired General. Such caliber of people will always mess things up when they get there due to their bad antecedents. Most of our lawmakers have one criminal case or the other hanging on their necks in the UK and USA so much that they can't step into those countries without being picked. I won't mention names but we also know of a couple of serving governors and the one who heads the national assembly arm. Google will help any doubting Thomas out.

We will keep having such caliber of people as long as we continue to keep quiet without doing the needful. 2023 is approaching. The onus is on us all.

Like-minds certainly

wahala no dey finish.

Hmmmm

Lol.... This one don enter am