Nigerian makes US Most Wanted List over $1m fraud

A Nigerian man named Onoriode Ezewu has been placed on the United States Department of Labour's inaugural Most Wanted List due to allegations of money laundering involving fraudulent unemployment benefit claims totaling over $1 million. The department's Office of Inspector General announced the list, which includes 16 fugitives wanted for various offenses such as fraud, identity theft, money laundering, labour trafficking, and other crimes.

Collectively, these cases involve more than $55 million allegedly stolen from American taxpayers. Ezewu is accused of concealing money laundering and is believed to be currently residing in Nigeria. He was initially charged with 15 counts of concealment money laundering in a scheme that used stolen identities to file fraudulent UI and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims exceeding $1 million, which also included the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

After his arrest and initial appearance, Ezewu violated the conditions of his pre-trial release, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant. The US Department of Labour's Inspector General, Anthony P. D’Esposito, stated that the purpose of this list is to intensify efforts to locate the fugitives and recover the stolen funds. The agency is collaborating with the White House Fraud Task Force to locate those on the list and recover the money involved.

The department is also seeking public assistance to locate the fugitives and urged anyone with information about alleged wrongdoing to contact their Office of Inspector General.