Just in: U.S. Court Sentences Apetu of Ipetumodu to Four Years in Prison for COVID-19 Relief Fraud
A federal court in the United States has sentenced Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, to 56 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to orchestrating a scheme to embezzle COVID-19 relief funds . The sentencing took place on August 26, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio .
Oba Oloyede, who holds dual citizenship in Nigeria and the United States, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay restitution totaling $4,408,543.38. Additionally, he forfeited his home in Medina, Ohio, and had more than $96,000 seized from one of his business accounts .
Court filings indicate that from April 2020 to February 2022, Oloyede and a co-conspirator, Edward Oluwasanmi, submitted fraudulent applications under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) schemes, programmes meant to support small businesses during the pandemic . In April 2025, both men pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud, tax fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering .
Oloyede’s legal team had petitioned for leniency, attributing his actions to the unprecedented stress caused by COVID-19. They acknowledged no excuse, but pointed to the pandemic’s impact, especially given his health concerns at the time—as a contributing factor .
