By By Elizabeth Ugbo
A Nigerian man, Adepoju Salako, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison in the United States after orchestrating a wire fraud scheme that targeted Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) programme in 2022. Salako, 33, who lived in Philadelphia, carried out the fraud between January and February 2022 by using stolen personal information to submit false applications and obtain funds. The sentence was delivered on Tuesday, according to details released by the US Department of Justice.
How the Fraud Scheme Worked
According to court documents, Salako obtained personally identifiable information belonging to legitimate Alaska residents and used it to file seven fraudulent applications for Permanent Fund Dividend payments.
Investigators revealed that he created and controlled separate email accounts for each victim to support the false claims and facilitate the transfer of funds.
Authorities also stated that Salako had never lived in Alaska and had not visited the state before arriving for his sentencing.
Prison Sentence and Related Convictions
Salako pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud.
The court ordered that his 18-month prison sentence run concurrently with a separate criminal case involving COVID-19 relief fund fraud and international money laundering in the District of Colorado.
In the related case, Salako received a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence and was directed to pay $2.5 million in restitution to victims.
US Authorities Detail Investigation Findings
The Department of Justice said the case exposed deliberate attempts to exploit a public financial programme intended for eligible Alaska residents.
Investigators traced the fraudulent applications and linked them to accounts controlled by Salako, leading to his prosecution and sentencing.
