A Nigerian socialite, Abiola Femi Quadri, has been sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in a U.S. federal prison for orchestrating a $1.3 million COVID-19 unemployment and disability fraud scheme.
Quadri, 43, who lived in Pasadena, California, was sentenced on Thursday, July 10, 2025, by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu. In addition to the 135-month prison term, he was ordered to pay $1.35 million in restitution and a $35,000 fine
According to court documents, Quadri exploited stolen identities to file over 100 fraudulent claims with unemployment agencies in California and Nevada during the height of the pandemic. He used the proceeds to finance the construction of a luxury hotel and shopping complex in Nigeria.
Investigators revealed that between 2021 and his arrest in September 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport, Quadri systematically withdrew the stolen funds from ATMs across California and wired at least $500,000 abroad. He was intercepted while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria.
The illegally diverted funds helped bankroll the development of “Oyins International,” a 120-room resort complex in Nigeria that features a mall, nightclub, and other upscale amenities. Quadri failed to disclose ownership of the property in his mandatory court financial disclosure.
Authorities also found 17 counterfeit checks worth over $3.3 million on Quadri’s phone, alongside messages detailing plans to cash them using shell companies registered under various aliases. In private communications, he admitted to entering into a sham marriage to obtain U.S. permanent residency—confessing to the fraud in texts with a woman who was not his legal spouse.
Quadri also ran a business called Rock of Peace in Altadena, California, which was contracted by the state to provide care for developmentally disabled children. During a search of his residence, law enforcement agents uncovered food-aid debit cards meant for the children, suggesting additional financial misappropriation.
The case was the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the California Employment Development Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted the case.