Three Nigerians, William Elvis, Moses Hezekiah, and Destiny Oghentega, have been charged in a United States federal court in Rhode Island over their alleged involvement in an online romance and wire fraud scheme.
PUNCH Metro learnt from a statement obtained on the Department of Justice’s website on Thursday that the suspects were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The statement noted that court documents indicated that the alleged fraud scheme began around early 2021 and involved multiple conspirators targeting victims through online impersonation.
It noted that the suspects and their accomplices posed as professionals working overseas and developed relationships with victims over time.
The statement read, “Victims, including an elderly Rhode Island resident, were contacted by individuals who falsely portrayed themselves as professionals working overseas and, over time, developed relationships with them.
“The conspirators then made repeated requests for money under pretences, including claims of financial hardship, legal issues, or medical emergencies.
“Victims were directed to send funds through gift cards, Bitcoin transactions, and other means, including transfers to accounts controlled by participants in the scheme.”
The statement continues that investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that the identities used in the scheme were stolen and used without the knowledge of the real individuals.
It added that the FBI also traced the communications and financial transactions connected to the fraud to the defendants in Nigeria.
Prosecutors noted that the victims lost substantial amounts of money over the course of the scheme.
“Victims sent substantial sums of money over the course of the scheme. The investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that the identities used were misappropriated and used without the individuals’ knowledge, and that communications and financial activity were traced to the defendants in Nigeria,” it added.
The statement, however, emphasised that the charges remain allegations, noting that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
PUNCH Metro reported on April 8 that a United States-based Nigerian, Ifeanyi Ugwu, is facing up to years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business involving more than $5m in illegally obtained funds.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, Eric Grant, had stated that Ugwu, 49, of Bakersfield, admitted to running the illegal operation between December 2020 and August 2023.
The Lagos State Government has sealed more than 20 properties in Ikeja Local Government Area over various physical planning violations as part of efforts to enforce compliance with the state’s planning laws and regulations.
A statement by the Lagos state government said the enforcement exercise was carried out by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LASPPPA, and was led by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Physical Planning, Tpl. Olayinka Wasiu, alongside the General Manager of LASPPPA, Tpl. Kehinde Osinaike, and directors of the authority.
The affected properties include landed properties, uncompleted buildings and structures with unauthorised extensions found to be in breach of the Lagos State Physical Planning Law.
Speaking during the exercise, Wasiu said the enforcement was a proactive step aimed at preventing building collapse, promoting orderly physical development and ensuring strict compliance with the Lagos State Physical Planning Law.
“The State Government remains committed to safeguarding lives and property by enforcing planning regulations that guarantee a safe, resilient and sustainable built environment across Lagos State,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that owners of the affected properties had earlier been served contravention notices, which clearly outlined the steps required to regularise their developments before the enforcement exercise became necessary.
He urged property owners and developers to always obtain the required planning permits and approvals before embarking on any development or structural alteration.
According to him, compliance with planning regulations is essential to achieving sustainable urban development.
Wasiu also reiterated that the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, through LASPPPA, would continue to strengthen monitoring and enforcement activities across Lagos State to curb illegal developments and preserve the integrity of the built environment.
He further assured law-abiding residents that the authority remains committed to ensuring a properly planned and legally compliant built environment that supports the Lagos State Government’s goal of developing a safe, modern and sustainable megacity.
A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida, United States, has convicted a Nigerian-American licensed pharmacist and pharmacy owner, Olushola Yusuf, for her role in dispensing over 300,000 oxycodone 30mg pills to patrons who had no medical need for the drug.
The United States Department of Justice announced this in a press release on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Yusuf, 60, of Tampa, dispensed oxycodone to nearly all her pharmacy customers.
Yusuf charged customers approximately 10 times the typical cost of the drug and required payment from them in cash.
In total, Yusuf dispensed at least 326,079 pills of oxycodone 30mg during the conspiracy. Oxycodone 30mg is the maximum strength available of the drug and is both sought after and potentially dangerous due to its potency.
It is typically prescribed to seriously ill patients, such as those suffering from chronic cancer pain or traumatic injuries.
“The defendant abused the public trust by using her pharmacies to unlawfully distribute deadly opioids,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division.
“This conviction sends an unmistakable message: whether you deal drugs on a street corner or from behind a pharmacy counter, the Fraud Division will hold you fully accountable under the law.”
“By distributing dangerous and highly addictive narcotics, the defendant demonstrated a clear disregard for their community and endangered countless residents who should have been able to trust their pharmacist,” said FBI Co-Deputy Director Christopher Raia.
“The opioid epidemic continues to plague our nation, which is why the FBI, along with our partners, will continue to hold the criminals poisoning our communities with these drugs accountable.”
“Olushola Yusuf did not simply ignore red flags. She built her business around them,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida.
“She knowingly flooded South Florida communities with more than 335,000 high-dose oxycodone pills, even after her employees and the DEA warned her about the dangers of her conduct. Yusuf charged extraordinary cash prices, served drug dealers and customers who traveled long distances, and put profit ahead of patients, public safety, and her responsibilities as a pharmacist. Yesterday, a federal jury held her accountable.”
“Pharmacists occupy a position of public trust and serve as a critical safeguard against the diversion of controlled substances,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chief of Operations Matthew W. Allen.
“By dispensing hundreds of thousands of oxycodone pills to virtually anyone willing to pay inflated cash prices, the defendant abandoned that responsibility, exploited addiction, and endangered lives for personal profit.
“This conviction reinforces DEA’s commitment to the American people: no one is above the law when they violate the public’s trust and contribute to the unlawful distribution of dangerous drugs.”
“It’s a serious issue when people in the medical field use their positions to distribute illicit substances to those with no medical need for such substances,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Bobbitt of the DEA West Palm Beach District Office.
“This pharmacist dispensed thousands of oxycodone pills for profit and in the process contributed to opioid addiction in South Florida. Our diversion investigators have brought many of these criminals to justice and will continue to do so to protect our communities.”
“By unlawfully dispensing massive quantities of addictive controlled substances to people with no legitimate medical need, the pharmacist in this case brazenly disregarded patient safety and the law,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett for the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG).
“HHS OIG and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who exploit their professional licenses and endanger the public, and we will ensure they are held fully accountable.”
Yusuf owned and operated two pharmacies, Boots LLC d/b/a Striderite (Boots) in Margate, and Chans Pharmacy Plus, Inc. (Chans) in Pembroke Pines.
Yusuf distributed oxycodone 30mg pills through these pharmacies.
Customers drove long distances to have Yusuf fill prescriptions that they could not get filled at any other pharmacy.
Some customers paid as much as $1,300 a month in cash to Yusuf for the drugs. And some customers were drug dealers, who picked up oxycodone pills purportedly on behalf of dozens of patients at a time who were not present.
According to witnesses at trial, Yusuf kept the doors to her pharmacies locked during business hours, directing employees only to open the door for certain identified customers.
Yusuf continued to dispense the oxycodone in this way even after repeated warnings from her employees and the DEA about the dangers of her pharmacy operations.
A jury convicted Yusuf of conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs and five counts of illegal drug distribution.
Yusuf’s co-defendant, Saman Gimenez, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally distribute drugs and is scheduled to be sentenced in October of this year.
Yusuf faces a maximum penalty of 20 years for each count. Sentencing is scheduled to occur on October 14.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
DEA, HHS-OIG, and FBI are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Angela Benoit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Lagos State Special Offences Court has granted social media influencer Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, bail in the sum of N20 million in her ongoing trial over an alleged N69 million fraud.
The court ordered that she provide two responsible sureties in the same amount, with each submitting a three-year bank statement or proof of a fixed deposit worth at least N20 million. The judge also directed that both Blessing CEO and her sureties be verified through the Lagos State Judiciary’s Bail Information Management System.
Her defence informed the court that her international passport had been lost, presenting an affidavit of loss and a public notice. The court subsequently ordered the Nigerian Immigration Service to place her on a travel watchlist until the case is concluded.
The matter was adjourned to October 12, 2026, for continuation of trial. Blessing CEO is also facing a separate N36 million alleged fraud and theft case before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi.
