According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Olayeye was arrested on August 13 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

In a statement released on Monday, the office stated that Olayeye and others collaborated to unlawfully secure a minimum of $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

The statement added that Olayeye, also known as “Sabbie,” of Lagos, Nigeria, has been charged with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He appeared in the Eastern District of New York on August 14, 2024, and is set to appear in federal court in Boston on Tuesday.

Olayeye and his associates allegedly deceived three pandemic assistance programs run by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and other states’ unemployment insurance agencies, which included traditional unemployment insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).

They are accused of using stolen personal information to apply for unemployment benefits in various states, such as Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Indiana.

Reportedly, Olayeye and his co-conspirators sought at least $10 million in fraudulent UI, PUA, and FPUC from Massachusetts, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Montana, Maine, Ohio, and Washington and obtained over $1.5 million in aid that they were not entitled to receive.