A Nigerian man, Promise Okafor, is serving nine years in federal prison in the United States after he was arrested alongside his wife, Joyce Emengini, in a multi-state unemployment benefit scam that netted them over $2.7 million.

This came after they were arrested by Homeland Security agents at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in March 2021 with over 200 ATM cards, which alerted authorities and prompted an advanced investigation of the couple.

According to legal filings sighted by Peoples Gazette, authorities also seized phones and laptops from the couple during their arrest, which contained “concrete” evidence revealing that both Mr Okafor and his wife had participated in an elaborate unemployment benefit fraud.

In a sworn affidavit, James Buck, a special agent with the Department of Labour and Office of Inspector General, testified that the couple used various fake identities to apply for dozens of unemployment insurance debit cards in several states. 

Mr Buck also claimed that the couple was captured on ATMs across several states, including Ohio, Nevada, California, Virginia, and Arizona, showing the duo using the fraudulently obtained debit cards and stealing close to $3 million through the scheme.

However, as part of a deal arrangement, only Mr Okafor was indicted by prosecutors in September 2022 to allow his wife to take care of their nine-month-old child. It was unclear whether his wife had been charged or not.

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and failure to appear after a pre-trial hearing in December of the same year.

On April 10, 2023, Mr Okafor was sentenced to 108 months in prison by Judge Mark Pitman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. 

The court ordered Mr Okafor to repay the $2.7 million in fraud proceeds he earned through the scam, including $141,542.16 to the Arizona State Department of Employment Security, Office of Inspector General, and $35,146 to the Department of Job and Family Services in Ohio.

He was also ordered to pay $1,817,199.99 to California’s EDD Investigation Division, $540,806.54 to the Department of Employment Security Division Benefits Integrity Program in Nevada and $17,598.40 to the Virginia Employment Commission.

The judge also ordered that Mr Okafor be handed over to immigration authorities upon completion of his sentence in 2029 to be deported to Nigeria. 

Months into his sentence, Mr Okafor is now fighting for early release. However, a judge recently denied a motion from the Nigerian for such release, and he is on course to complete the full term of his sentence, with his release date scheduled for 2029.