The U.S government has submitted a 97,000-page fraud evidence against Lekki big boy and suspended aide to Ogun state Governor, Abidemi Rufai, who was indicted for alleged conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
It can be recalled that Rufai was arrested on May 14 at the JFK airport in New York over alleged COVID-19 unemployment fraud in the United States.
According to the 97,000-page document submitted by the prosecutor at the U.S. District for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, on July 26, Rufai stole the identities of over 100 Washington residents to file fradulent claims with the Employment Security Department (ESD) for pandemic-related unemployment benefits.
According to the report from Acting US Attorney, Tessa M. Gorman, Rufai filed fraudulent claims with Hawaii, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania, using variations of the same email address in a way that it wouldn’t be easily detected by fraud systems.
The agreed application filed on August 3, 2021, ruled the case as complex as a result of the volume and nature of the evidence filed against the suspect.
“On July 26, 2021, the government produced approximately 97,000 pages of material. In addition, the government is in the process of executing two additional electronic search warrants.
The discovery includes electronic documents in a variety of formats. The material contains personal identifying information or sensitive financial information,” the document stated in part.
Meanwhile, Rufai was arraigned before the court on June 25, 2021, where he pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The court then adjourned the case and scheduled his trial for August 31, 2021.
