A prominent Yoruba monarch, Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, and Pastor Edward Oluwasanmi are facing imprisonment in the United States after admitting guilt to a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud.
Oloyede, a US-based accountant and information technology specialist who ascended to the throne in July 2019, was apprehended with Oluwasanmi in early 2024.
Their arrest followed allegations of orchestrating a scheme to illicitly acquire $4.2 million in pandemic relief funds.
The charges against the two men included 13 counts encompassing conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud itself, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and transactions involving illegally obtained funds.
They were arraigned before Justice Christopher Boyko of the US District Court of Ohio.
The arraignment and seizure of 62-year-old Oloyede has left the people of Ipetumodu worried over his whereabouts after a trip abroad in 2024 especially with his absence at several important festivals and rituals.
Persecondnews gathered that prior to his US arrest and prosecution, Oloyede is said to have demolished the town’s palace, promising to construct a state-of-the-art replacement.
According to court documents, Oloyede and Oluwasanmi submitted falsified applications for Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the US Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act between April 2020 and February 2022, using fake tax and wage documents to secure funds meant to support struggling businesses during the pandemic.
The Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by issuing loans to small businesses and non-profit entities experiencing revenue loss due to the pandemic.
The Act also authorised the US Small Business Administration to issue advances or grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses.
Oloyede, who was based in Medina, Ohio, before he ascended the throne, was accused of using some of his companies, including Available Tax Services Incorporated, Available Financial Corporation, and Available Transportation Company, to defraud the government through the COVID-19 relief fund.
Oluwasanmi was also accused of using his companies: Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated to obtain millions of dollars, which he later diverted for his expenses, in breach of US federal laws.
According to court documents, Oba Oloyede and Oluwasanmi, among other things, fraudulently obtained the sum of $3.76m from the US Paycheck Protection Programme and Economic Injury Disaster Loans scheme.
After about one year in court, the duo pleaded guilty to some of the charges and might face some prison sentences.
On April 10, Oluwasanmi, through his counsel, Henry Hilow, pleaded guilty to counts one, 11, and 12 of the indictment.
In the said counts, Oluwasanmi was accused of using some of the proceeds of the fraud to purchase a commercial property on 422 South Green Road, South Euclid, Ohio, through wire transfer, and transferring money into Dayspring transportation brokerage account.
“Guilty plea entered to counts 1, 11 and 12 of the indictment. Plea agreement executed. Sentencing set for July 2, 2025, at 10am in Courtroom 9A. Defendant’s bond to continue with same conditions as previously ordered,” the document read.
On Monday, April 21, Oba Oloyede submitted his guilty plea before the court.
The court had fixed Thursday, April 24, for the hearing of his pleas.
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