Nigerian Man Sentenced to 78 Months in US Over $5 Million COVID Relief Fráud and Romance Scáms

A 34-year-old Nigerian man, Adepoju Babtunde Salako, has been sentenced to 78 months in prison in the United States after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

The sentencing was announced on March 4, 2026, by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

As part of his plea agreement, Salako, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also agreed to plead guilty to seven additional counts of wire fraud in Alaska. He was further ordered to pay $2,581,002.50 in restitution to victims.

According to court documents, Salako was part of a criminal network that stole more than $5 million from U.S. COVID-19 relief programs in 2021. The schemes targeted the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and over 30 state unemployment benefit systems.

Investigators said Salako and two accomplices used stolen identities to fraudulently obtain PPP loans and unemployment benefits while submitting fake applications for EIDL loans.

In another scheme, co-conspirators, mostly based in Nigeria, used stolen identities and manipulated romance scam victims to obtain government funds.

Authorities said Salako acted as the key contact in the United States, receiving money from victims and government agencies before laundering the proceeds to China and Nigeria. He reportedly took about 25 percent as his commission.

U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly said Salako and his associates exploited innocent people and defrauded American taxpayers of millions of dollars.

Officials from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation also described him as the U.S.-based operative for an international criminal network.