Nigerian Pastor Edward Abiodun Oluwasanmi has been arrested by the FBI for conspiring with Osun monarch, Oba Joseph Oloyede, to defraud the U.S. government of $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
Oluwasanmi submitted forged documents to obtain loans meant to support struggling businesses during the pandemic, which he then diverted for personal use, violating U.S. federal laws, Peoples Gazette reports.
The pastor used his three companies, Dayspring Property Incorporated, Dayspring Holdings, and Dayspring Transportation, to secure millions of dollars in fraudulent loans.
He was indicted on a 13-count charge of fraud and arrested in Cleveland in April, before being released on a $20,000 bail.
Oluwasanmi’s questionable financial dealings also include a wire transfer of $221,880 in September 2020 to purchase a commercial property in Ohio.
The case against him is ongoing, with the FBI investigating the extent of his involvement in the fraud scheme.
According to the report, on October 26, 2021, he transferred $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds to a brokerage account belonging to Dayspring Transportation, his company.
Prosecutors have already seized approximately $620,000 from the Nigerian pastor and are seeking the forfeiture of both the confiscated sum and other assets acquired through fraudulent proceeds.
On April 5, 2024, the FBI seized $599,250 from Oluwasanmi’s Dayspring Transportation account with Fidelity Investments (ending in –5800). An additional $20,000 was confiscated from his Dayspring Property account (ending in –3548) at Key Bank on the same day.
Both his U.S. and Nigerian passports were seized to ensure his compliance with trial proceedings. His U.S. passport lists his name as Edward Olanrewaju Abiodun Oluwasanmi.
As part of his bail conditions, he faces immediate re-arrest if he fails to appear in court for his trial.
Leave a Reply