A U.S. District Court has sentenced Nigerian pastor Edward Oluwasanmi to 27 months in federal prison for his involvement in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. His co-defendant, Joseph Oloyede, a traditional ruler in Osun State, has forfeited property in the United States linked to the criminal enterprise.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Christopher Boyko of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on July 2, 2025. Oluwasanmi was convicted on Counts 1, 11, and 12 of a 13-count federal indictment and ordered to forfeit $1.3 million to the U.S. government. His prison terms will run concurrently.
Oluwasanmi and Oloyede—who holds the royal title Apetu of Ipetumodu—were arrested in April 2024 and later indicted on multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, money laundering, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions involving criminally obtained funds.
According to court documents reviewed by Daily Post, the pair exploited the U.S. government’s COVID-19 relief programs between April 2020 and February 2022. They submitted falsified Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications, using forged tax and payroll documents for shell companies under their control.
Oluwasanmi was found to have used companies such as Dayspring Transportation Limited, Dayspring Holding Incorporated, and Dayspring Property Incorporated to fraudulently secure millions of dollars in pandemic aid, which he then diverted for personal enrichment.
In February 2025, both men pleaded guilty to the charges as part of a plea bargain deal with federal prosecutors. While Oluwasanmi’s sentence has been finalized, judgment in Oloyede’s case is still pending. However, U.S. authorities have confirmed that real estate and other assets linked to him in the United States have already been seized through asset forfeiture proceedings.
The case underscores the U.S. government’s ongoing crackdown on pandemic-related fraud and sends a strong message regarding accountability, even across international borders.
