Nigerian, Femi Quadri bags 11 years jail term over $1.3m COVID-19 fraud

Nigerian socialite Abiola Femi Quadri has been sentenced to 11 years and 3 months (135 months) in a United States federal prison for orchestrating a $1.3 million COVID-19 unemployment and disability fraud scheme

Quadri, 43, who lived in Pasadena, California, was convicted of filing over 100 fraudulent unemployment claims in California and Nevada using stolen identities during the pandemic. Prosecutors revealed he used the illicit proceeds to fund the construction of a luxury resort in Nigeria.

He was sentenced on Thursday, July 10, 2025, by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu, who also ordered him to pay $1.35 million in restitution and a $35,000 fine.

Court records show that Quadri admitted to securing U.S. permanent residency through a sham marriage. In private messages to another woman—who was not his legal spouse—he confessed to the fraudulent arrangement.

Between 2021 and his arrest in September 2024 at LAX Airport while attempting to flee to Nigeria, Quadri withdrew stolen funds from ATMs across California and wired at least $500,000 overseas. Investigators said he failed to disclose ownership of a massive property project in Nigeria—a 120-room hotel and shopping complex named Oyins International, which includes a nightclub and luxury amenities.

Agents also uncovered 17 counterfeit checks worth more than $3.3 million on his phone, alongside incriminating messages discussing how to cash them using shell companies tied to his aliases.

Additionally, Quadri ran a business called Rock of Peace in Altadena, where he was paid by the state to care for developmentally disabled children. Authorities found misused food-aid debit cards intended for those children in his home.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Brown from the Major Frauds Section led the prosecution.

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