SEATTLE – A brazen scheme to siphon over $350,000 from Washington State’s pandemic-ravaged unemployment system has landed a Nigerian national in federal custody. Abidemi Rufai, 42, of Lekki, Nigeria, was arrested Friday evening at JFK Airport in New York, facing charges of wire fraud. The takedown marks the first significant arrest in what authorities promise will be a widening crackdown on unemployment fraud targeting states nationwide.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced Rufai’s arrest, stating the investigation began in April 2020, after reports of suspicious claims flooded into her office. The scheme involved the systematic theft of identities from over 100 Washington residents, using them to file bogus claims with the Employment Security Department (ESD). But Washington wasn’t the only target. Rufai allegedly extended his fraudulent reach to Hawaii, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The feds say Rufai wasn’t leaving anything to chance. He masked his digital fingerprints by utilizing variations of a single email address, designed to bypass automated fraud detection systems. This tactic created the illusion of numerous, unconnected claims, allowing the scam to flourish for months. The stolen funds weren’t simply stockpiled; they were funneled through online payment platforms like ‘Green Dot’ accounts and wired to bank accounts controlled by what investigators are calling “money mules.” A significant portion – over $288,000 – landed in an American bank account controlled by Rufai himself between March and August 2020, and some was routed to his relative’s address in Jamaica, New York.
“Greed is a powerful motivator,” stated Donald Voiret, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Unfortunately, the greed alleged to this defendant affects all taxpayers.” Voiret emphasized that the FBI, along with its partners, will not tolerate such blatant attempts to exploit programs designed to aid Americans struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic. The investigation is a multi-agency effort, including the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Social Security Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations – all cooperating with the Washington Employment Security Department.
Rufai made his initial court appearance in New York on Saturday and is scheduled for a detention hearing on Wednesday. If convicted of wire fraud related to benefits paid during a presidentially-declared disaster, like the COVID-19 pandemic, he faces up to thirty years behind bars. Authorities are quick to point out that the charges are allegations at this stage, and Rufai is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Assistant United States Attorneys Seth Wilkinson, Cindy Chang, and Benjamin Diggs of the Western District of Washington, along with Trial Attorney Jane Lee of DOJ’s Cyber Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), are prosecuting the case. This bust is being hailed as a first step, with Gorman vowing that more arrests are on the horizon as the investigation into ESD fraud continues to unfold. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on any further developments.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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