Nigerian monarch must pay over $4.4 million in restitution and forfeit his US residence after an Ohio federal court sentenced him to nearly five years in prison for defrauding American COVID-19 relief programmes.
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Judge Christopher Boyko imposed a 56-month prison term on Oba Joseph Oloyede of Ipetumodu in Osun State, along with three years of supervised release and the substantial financial penalties following his conviction on fraud charges.
The 13-count indictment revealed that Oba Oloyede, working alongside Nigerian pastor Edward Oluwasanmi, submitted fraudulent loan applications to exploit COVID-19 relief programmes designed to help struggling American businesses and individuals during the pandemic.
The scheme involved providing false information in applications for emergency funding, ultimately defrauding the US government of $4.2 million intended for legitimate pandemic relief efforts.
Both defendants were arrested in April 2024 as federal investigators uncovered the elaborate fraud operation that spanned multiple fraudulent applications and false documentation.
Beyond the prison sentence, the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ordered comprehensive financial restitution. Oba Oloyede must pay $4,408,543 in restitution to compensate the government for the fraud losses.
The court also mandated forfeiture of $96,006 previously seized by investigators during the case, along with the defendant’s residential property in Medina, Ohio. These asset forfeitures is an attempt by the court to recover proceeds from the fraudulent scheme.
Pastor Edward Oluwasanmi, Oba Oloyede’s co-defendant in the fraud case, received a 27-month imprisonment sentence in July 2025. The shorter sentence suggests possible differences in their roles within the fraudulent operation or varying levels of cooperation with authorities.
The case highlights the reach of US federal law enforcement in pursuing fraud cases, regardless of the defendants’ status or titles in their home countries. Despite holding traditional authority as a monarch in Nigeria’s Osun State, Oba Oloyede faced the full weight of American criminal justice for his role in the scheme.
The US Attorney’s Office stated that the prosecution shows the government’s commitment to protecting taxpayer-funded relief programmes from exploitation, particularly those designed to provide emergency assistance during national crises.
Federal authorities have pursued numerous cases involving foreign nationals who exploited emergency funding programmes established during the COVID-19 crisis.
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