Nigerian IT worker charged in multistate unemployment fraud

A Nigerian information techlogy worker has been indicted on federal wire fraud and identity ft charges, after authorities said he and his co-conspirators filed false claims for pandemic-related unemployment benefits in 17 states.

Chukwuemeka Onyegbula, using name “Phillip Carter,” was linked to at least 253 fraudulent filings for unemployment benefits, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in Seattle.

Onyegbula has been detained in Nigeria, but prospects for his extrition to U.S. were unclear. Onyegbula works for Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited, according to Seattle U.S. Attorney's Office. Court documents did t list an attorney who might comment on his behalf.

Washington, Arizona, California, Coloro, Illiis, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Neva, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin paid out a total of nearly $290,000 on claims related to case. ditionally, federal Small Business ministration paid out $54,000 in COVID-19 ecomic disaster claims filed by Onyegbula and his co-conspirators, prosecutors said.

Washington state was severely victimized by fraudulent claims for pandemic-related benefits. It likely paid out more than $647 million in such fraudulent claims, though $370 million was recovered, according to state officials.

Onyegbula is second Nigerian national charged with such fraud in U.S. District Court for western Washington. Abidemi Rufai, 42, a suspended Nigerian government official, has been accused of stealing $350,000 from Washington. He also sought to bilk Internal Revenue Service of nearly $1.6 million, according to federal prosecutors.

Rufai was arrested May 14 as he tried to travel from New York to Nigeria. Federal prosecutors in western Washington have been seeking to make sure he remains in custody pending trial, saying he poses a severe flight risk, is facile with fake identities, and that he’s unlikely to ever be extrited if he makes it back to Nigeria.

A hearing is set for Friday to determine wher Rufai might be released pending trial. In a court filing Wednesday, assistant U.S. attorneys said that a recorded conversation between Rufai and his bror revealed that Rufai did t really kw a woman who h offered to act as his custodian should he be released.

recorded conversation also suggested that Rufai h significantly more money than he led court to believe, prosecutors said.

Rufai's attorneys did t immediately respond to a request seeking comment Thursday.