A 24-year-old Nigerian man, Mercy Ojedeji, has admitted guilt in a United States court to charges of wire fraud and the fraudulent use of immigration documents to gain admission to a university.
Ojedeji pleaded guilty on Wednesday, April 9th, in a US District Court in St. Louis, Missouri. He confessed to fraudulently obtaining a student visa and subsequently securing admission into the chemistry PhD program at the University of Missouri in the Fall of 2023.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri on April 10th, Ojedeji acknowledged using fabricated academic transcripts, recommendation letters, a fake resume, and a falsified English language proficiency report as part of his visa application.
Armed with the fraudulently obtained visa, Ojedeji proceeded to acquire a Social Security card, a Missouri driver’s license, a bank account, and housing. He also received a stipend and tuition waiver from the University of Missouri, the total value of which exceeded $49,000.
However, Ojedeji failed to attend classes or engage in research activities, leading to his dismissal from the graduate program in January 2024 and the subsequent termination of his student visa. Despite this, prosecutors stated that he used the now-invalid visa to obtain a state driver’s license on February 26, 2024.
The investigation into Ojedeji began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service received reports concerning a romance fraud scheme. Victims of this scheme were allegedly sending packages containing cash and gift cards to the residence of Ojedeji’s partner. Authorities tracked 35 Express Mail packages, linked to Nigerian IP addresses and sent between December 19, 2023, and January 4, 2024.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, while the immigration fraud charge could result in an additional 10 years in prison and a similar fine. The final determination of losses and penalties will be made by the presiding judge during sentencing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office statement also revealed that a court-approved search of the residence uncovered packages sent in connection with a Nigerian romance fraud scheme. A total of 193 packages sent via Postal Services Express Mail, Federal Express, and United Parcel Service were received at the residence during Ojedeji’s relationship with the woman. Seventeen of these seized packages contained $94,150 in cash and gift cards, with prosecutors estimating the total intended loss from the romance scam to be over $1 million.
Despite his guilty plea to the immigration and wire fraud charges related to his university admission, Ojedeji has denied any involvement in the separate romance scam. His sentencing is scheduled for July 10th.
