One sham marriage can lead to a jackpot of fraud. Abioli Femi Quadri was a Nigerian citizen who acquired permanent residency in the United States through what he himself described as a “fake wedding” in messages to a woman who was not his wife. Turns out Quadri had no aspirations to be a doting husband, nor to be a law-abiding United States resident. But Quadri used his permanent residency as a fraudster in multiple schemes in unemployment, disability, food aid and fraudulent counterfeit checks.
Starting in 2021, Quadri filed more false claims to Nevada’s and California’s Employment Development Departments, using 72 stolen American identities. Apparently, all of them had the same occupation among other commonalities. He also filed disability benefits using 19 stolen identities of disabled Americans. Over the next three years, Quadri withdrew at least $500,000 in fraudulent unemployment and disability benefits at ATMs and sent the money abroad. Most of those funds went towards construction of a 120-room resort hotel in Nigeria, called the Oyins International. A luxurious facility that included a nightclub, a mall, and additional high-end amenities.
Quadri’s schemes did not stop there. During the search of his residence, federal agents discovered food-aid debit cards meant for developmentally disabled children, who were enrolled in his daycare business, Rock of Peace. Furthermore, evidence was found on his phone that included images of 17 counterfeit checks amounting to over $3.3 million. Some of the checks were made out to fictitious companies registered under aliases linked to Quadri.
On July 11, 2025, Quadri was sentenced to just over eleven years in prison for unemployment, disability, food aid and check fraud in Nevada and California.
Great job by the United States Postal Service in this case.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Pasadena Man Who Ran Altadena Business Sentenced to Over 11 Years for $1.3 Million COVID Fraud Scheme” published by Pasadena Now on July 11, 2025.
A Pasadena resident who fraudulently obtained more than $1.3 million in pandemic-related unemployment and disability benefits was sentenced Thursday to 135 months in federal prison and ordered to pay over $1.3 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Abiola Femi Quadri, 43, used stolen identities to submit more than 100 false claims to California’s Employment Development Department and its Nevada counterpart, federal prosecutors said. Quadri withdrew the ill-gotten funds at ATMs throughout the region and funneled at least $500,000 abroad to finance construction of a luxury resort hotel in Nigeria.
