U.S. Court Sentences Nigerian Socialite Abiola Femi Quadri to 11 Years for $1.3M COVID-19 Fraud

In a striking blow to international fraud, a U.S. court has sentenced Nigerian socialite Abiola Femi Quadri to 11 years in federal prison for masterminding a massive COVID-19 unemployment fraud that siphoned over $1.3 million meant to support jobless Americans during the pandemic.

According to court documents, Quadri exploited the chaos of the early pandemic months by filing more than 100 fraudulent claims using stolen and fake identities. These claims targeted unemployment insurance programs in California and Nevada, where overwhelmed systems and desperate need created an opening for fraud on an unprecedented scale.

But what shocked investigators even more wasn’t just the scale of the fraud—it was what Quadri did with the money. Prosecutors revealed that the defendant funneled the stolen U.S. taxpayer funds back to Nigeria, where he built a luxury nightclub and a shopping mall, flaunting his new wealth and social status while Americans struggled to recover.

The case, tried in a California federal court, highlighted growing concerns about transnational cybercrime and identity theft, especially when tied to government relief programs. Authorities said Quadri worked in coordination with a wider network of scammers who leveraged hacked personal data, unemployment agency loopholes, and fraudulent addresses to reroute funds to foreign bank accounts.

“This is not just theft—it’s exploitation at the highest level,” said the presiding judge during sentencing. “At a time when families were lining up at food banks, this defendant was stealing public funds to party and build a business empire in another country.”

Quadri’s legal team had argued for leniency, citing poor economic conditions and claiming he had since “invested the funds in developing infrastructure in Nigeria.” But the court dismissed the defense as self-serving, noting that such actions did not undo the damage inflicted on legitimate claimants and U.S. taxpayers.

The U.S. Department of Justice has reaffirmed its commitment to track, prosecute, and recover misused pandemic funds, even across international borders. Officials say they’re working closely with Nigeria’s EFCC and Interpol to identify additional suspects linked to the scheme.

Abiola Femi Quadri will serve his sentence in a U.S. federal prison without the possibility of parole. Meanwhile, U.S. authorities are pursuing asset recovery efforts to reclaim as much of the stolen $1.3 million as possible.

The case is one of the largest individual COVID-19 unemployment fraud cases tied to Nigeria and serves as a stern warning: pandemic relief fraud will be punished—no matter where the criminals hide.