The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has asked Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to help find and arrest two Nigerians, Babatunde Shodiya and Yinka Jamiu. They are wanted for allegedly running a fake website that scammed medical facilities in Minnesota out of $13 million.
A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota charged them on September 25 for being part of a fraud conspiracy that tricked many healthcare providers from October 2020 to 2024.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said that Shodiya and Jamiu created fake websites and email addresses to manipulate the Optum Pay payment system, which many healthcare providers in Minnesota use. They posed as Fairview Health, a well-known healthcare company, and used the fake email addresses to trick Fairview Health employees into sharing login information.
The fraudsters also made a fake website, fairviewhospitals.org, and pretended to be important hospital officials, including the CEO and other senior staff.
In addition to wire fraud charges, Shodiya faces identity theft charges for impersonating Fairview executives.
Luger explained that the duo set up a fake domain to make it look like it belonged to Fairview Health. They then redirected over $13 million intended for Fairview Health from Minnesota healthcare companies into accounts controlled by them and their associates.
The U.S. authorities have confirmed that the suspects are Nigerian citizens living in Nigeria and have asked the EFCC for help.
An EFCC officer, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the case, confirmed that the U.S. requested their assistance. “We have a duty to respond to this request as part of our longstanding cooperation with the U.S. on international crimes,” the officer said.
If the EFCC successfully captures Shodiya and Jamiu, they will be sent to the U.S. to face trial. All assets linked to the crime will be handed over to the U.S. authorities.