THE UNITED STATES HAS DECLARED a NIGERIAN MAN WANTED FOR DEFRAUDING NEW YORK STATE OF MORE THAN $30 MILLION

Chidozie Obasi

Obasi is accused of defrauding US hospitals out of $31 million by selling non-existent COVID-19 ventilators. According to a statement issued by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, the suspect carried out the scheme from Nigeria with the assistance of co-conspirators from other countries between September 2018 and June 2020.

Obasi and his associates are accused of obtaining more than $31,000,000 through a complex fraud scheme, the majority of which came from the State of New York.

The alleged scheme began in September 2018 with a spam email campaign offering bogus "work from home" jobs. When a person responded to the bogus job offer, Obasi or a co-conspirator pretended to be a representative of a legitimate company, usually a fictitious medical equipment supplier based outside the country.

"By 2020, Obasi had gone so far as to pose as a ventilator salesman for an Indonesian medical supply company."

Obasi allegedly persuaded a medical equipment broker in the United States to broker sales of these non-existent ventilators, ultimately duping the State of New York into wiring more than $30 million for the purchase of non-existent ventilators. "He continued to target other potential customers, including hospitals, with this same scam," the statement read in part.

Obasi, who is currently a fugitive and wanted by the US, is charged with "one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, six counts of mail fraud, and sixteen counts of wire fraud," according to the indictment sheet.

He faces a maximum sentence of 21 years in prison.