• Nigerian citizen Valentine O. Odije sentenced for COVID-19 Unemployment Insurance Benefits scam after pleading guilty in federal court
• Odije received 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
• He admitted to conspiracy to use an unauthorized access device as part of the scheme
• Odije and his coconspirators used debit cards funded with COVID-19 UI benefits to access over $660,000 unlawfully
• He recruited others to help withdraw cash and purchase money orders using these cards
• Odije and coconspirators were arrested after withdrawing $23,527.99 using four debit cards in Eastern District of Tennessee
• Upon arrest, Odije possessed 315 debit cards, with 204 containing a total of $661,082.19 in unlawfully obtained UI benefits
• Two of his coconspirators also pleaded guilty and were sentenced to probation with restitution orders.
