FBI Seeks EFCC’s Help to Arrest Two Nigerians for $13 Million Healthcare Fraud
By Okafor Joseph Afam
October 4, 2024
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has called on Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to assist in tracking down and arresting two Nigerians, Babatunde Shodiya and Yinka Jamiu, who are accused of defrauding American healthcare providers of $13 million through a fake website scheme, according to a report by People’s Gazette.
Shodiya, 43, and Jamiu, 31, were indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota on September 25, 2024. They allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent business email scheme that targeted healthcare companies in Minnesota between October 2020 and 2024.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger detailed the charges, explaining that Shodiya and Jamiu manipulated employees of several Minnesota-based healthcare firms, convincing them to redirect millions of dollars in payments to fraudulent accounts.
Luger said, “As part of the scheme, Babatunde and Jamiu created a fake, ‘spoofed’ internet domain designed to appear as though it was controlled by Fairview Health.” This domain, fairviewhospitals.org, was used to impersonate executives of the health network, including the CEO, vice president, and other key officials. By using these fake identities, they tricked healthcare employees into transferring payments intended for Fairview Health to accounts under their control.
In total, Shodiya and Jamiu allegedly directed more than $13 million in payments from Minnesota-based healthcare companies into their own accounts and those of their co-conspirators.
The People’s Gazette reports that U.S. authorities have confirmed that the suspects are Nigerian citizens currently residing in Nigeria. In response, U.S. officials have reached out to the EFCC for assistance in apprehending the duo.
A source within the EFCC, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, stated, “The U.S. officials reached out to us and informed us that the suspects are believed to be hiding in Nigeria. We have a duty to honor this request in line with our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. in addressing cross-border crimes.”
In addition to the wire fraud charges, Shodiya faces an additional count of aggravated identity theft for his role in impersonating Fairview’s executives and manipulating Optum Pay, a widely used payment system among health service providers in Minnesota.
The EFCC is expected to collaborate with U.S. authorities to ensure that justice is served in this cross-border financial crime case.
