Edward Oluwasanmi, a Nigerian pastor, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for defrauding the US government of $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.
Gatekeepers News reports that Oluwasanmi was arrested in April 2024 alongside Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Nigeria.
They were charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, defrauding the U.S. government, money laundering, and engaging in financial transactions involving criminally obtained funds.
According to court documents, between April 2020 and February 28, 2022, Oluwasanmi and Oloyede submitted fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) using companies they controlled. The applications were supported by falsified tax records and payroll documents.
Oluwasanmi allegedly used three entities; Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated to illegally secure millions of dollars in relief funds, which he later diverted for personal use, in violation of U.S. federal laws.
In February 2025, both men entered plea deals and admitted to some of the charges.
On July 2, Judge Christopher Boyko of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio sentenced Oluwasanmi to 27 months on counts 1, 11, and 12. The sentences will run concurrently.
The court also ordered Oluwasanmi to forfeit $1.3 million to the U.S. government.
Judgment is still pending in the case of Joseph Oloyede, the first defendant in the suit.
