A 40-year-old Nigerian-born United States citizen, Oladapo Olalekan Fadugba, has been indicted for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements in connection with obtaining US citizenship.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Fadugba allegedly diverted over $690,000 in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funds meant for a local healthcare provider into his personal bank accounts between October 2020 and July 2023.
The indictment alleges that Fadugba used the identification of another individual to carry out the fraudulent transfers and wrote checks to himself or businesses associated with him.
He is also accused of making a false declaration under oath during his naturalization process, denying any crimes or offenses for which he had not been arrested despite the ongoing fraudulent activities.
If convicted, Fadugba faces up to 27 years in federal prison. The US government is also seeking a forfeiture order of $400,000, representing the estimated proceeds of the alleged crimes.
The US Attorney’s Office emphasized that an indictment is merely a formal accusation, and Fadugba is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
