Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Osun State, has been sentenced to 56 months (nearly four years and eight months) in prison by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio after pleading guilty to orchestrating a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.    
Judge Christopher A. Boyko handed down the sentence on Tuesday. In addition to prison time, Oloyede faces three years of supervised release, must pay $4,408,543.38 in restitution, and forfeit his home in Medina, Ohio, as well as $96,006.89 in seized fraudulent proceeds.    
Between April 2020 and February 2022, Oloyede and co-conspirator Edward Oluwasanmi submitted fraudulent applications under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) schemes—both pillars of pandemic relief under the CARES Act.    
Authorities uncovered 38 falsified loan applications, totaling roughly $4.2 million in illegitimate relief funds. Oloyede allegedly used multiple business and nonprofit entities—including those of his tax clients—to channel false requests and even took 15–20% cuts of disbursed funds.  
Court documents reveal that the stolen money was diverted toward land purchases, building a personal home, and acquiring a luxury vehicle—none of which conformed to the intended purpose of pandemic emergency relief.  
Edward Oluwasanmi, a Nigerian pastor and accomplice, received a 27-month prison sentence in July. Prosecutors also ordered restitution and the forfeiture of assets totaling over $600,000.    
Oloyede, 62, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the U.S. residing in Medina, Ohio, was arrested on May 4, 2024, following a 13-count indictment including wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and related offenses.   
He entered a guilty plea in April 2025, acknowledging participation in the fraudulent relief scheme.
