The Federal Bureau of Investigation has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to help track down and apprehend two Nigerian fugitives wanted over a multimillion-dollar healthcare scheme in the United States.
Babatunde Shodiya and Yinka Jamiu were indicted on September 25 by a grand jury at the U.S. District Court of Minnesota over their involvement in a scheme that saw several healthcare providers lose $13 million between October 2020 and 2024.
American officials said the suspects are citizens and residents of Nigeria and urged Nigeria’s frontline anti-graft office to help locate and take them into custody, according to officials familiar with the matter who briefed Peoples Gazette.
The U.S. officials have reached out to us and they said the suspects are hiding in the country,” an EFCC agent said under anonymity to comment on an ongoing investigation. “We have an obligation to honour the request of our U.S. counterparts as part of our longstanding collaboration to combat cross-border crimes.”
Messrs Shodiya and Jamiu targeted at least four Minnesota-based health service providers and tricked them into paying $13 million to a manipulated account rather than the intended beneficiaries.
Knowing that Optum Pay was the preferred payment system that major health service providers adopted in Minnesota, Messrs Shodiya and Jamiu created a fake domain to divert payment for health plans into an account they set up.
After creating a fake domain, fairviewhospitals.org, they opened email accounts in the name of the hospital’s CEO, executive vice-president and business analyst.
With the fake addresses, Messrs Shodiya and Jamiu sent emails to Fairview employees directing them to “access an Internet link and provide information,” including their usernames and passwords.
From the information supplied by the unsuspecting staff, the duo gained access to Fairview’s Optum Pay account and changed the bank information to another account.
“Defendants Babatunde and Ahmed then changed the banking information on vendor accounts in order to direct third-party vendors to transfer funds intended for Fairview Health into unauthorised bank accounts controlled by the defendants and their co-conspirators,” the indictment sheet stated.
While posing as Fairview Health CEO and executives, the suspects contacted vendor companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, to update their payment accounts with new ones.
“On or about July 29, 2020, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota made approximately 18 wire transfers totalling nearly $8 million to an account controlled by the defendants,” stated the indictment.
Company B, another vendor whose identity the FBI shielded, transferred over $1 million to the fraudulent account on November 19, 2020.
Company A, a vendor health plan provider, deposited $2.8 million into the fake account in two tranches: $1.4 million on November 25, 2020, and the second $1.4 million on December 4, 2020.
For impersonating Fairview’s CEO and other business executives on June 20, 2020, Mr Shodiya was facing additional charges of aggravated identity theft asides the wire fraud charges.
The duo will forfeit any money and property linked to the proceeds of the fraud to the U.S. government.
If the EFCC successfully tracks down Mr Shodiya and Mr Jamiu, they will be extradited to the U.S. to stand trial.
Peoples Gazette