A 43 years old Nigerian woman residing illegally in the United States, Funke Iyanda, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for obtaining over $40,000 in unemployment benefits using another person’s identity
As gathered, Iyanda faces up to 10 years in prison after she allegedly submitted a fraudulent application to Pennsylvania’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, securing funds she was not legally entitled to claim.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) outlined the case in a statement, stating, “A Nigerian national residing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of theft of government property.”
It further detailed, “According to the Indictment, Iyanda prepared and submitted a false application and claim for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits in the name of another person to the PA Department of Labour, for which Iyanda received approximately $40,980 in unemployment benefits to which Iyanda was not legally entitled.”
The DoJ stressed Iyanda’s presumption of innocence, noting, “An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
According to the DoJ, the crime which was committed between May 27, 2020 and May 24, 2021 could lead to a decade behind bars and a fine of up to $250,000.
This indictment follows another recent case involving a Nigerian in the US, where a Professor, Gordian Ndubizu received a two-year sentence for evading $1.25 million in taxes between 2014 and 2017.
