Baltimore, Maryland – A U.S. District Court has sentenced 29-year-old Nigerian national Temitope Bashua to 30 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for his involvement in a massive unemployment insurance (UI) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) fraud scheme.
Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher handed down the sentence on November 20, 2025, after Bashua admitted participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits and EIDL funds.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted in March 2020, provided emergency financial assistance to Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and EIDL were designed to help small businesses meet financial obligations, with EIDL advances of up to $10,000 that do not need to be repaid.
According to court documents and Bashua’s plea agreement, from May 2020 through September 2022, he and others impersonated victims to submit fraudulent UI claims in Maryland and California using stolen personally identifiable information (PII) without the victims’ consent.
In October 2020, Bashua and his co-conspirators submitted two fraudulent EIDL applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for fictitious businesses, also using stolen PII. Through these applications, Bashua received over $290,000 in U.S. Treasury funds.
Bashua further admitted involvement in other schemes, including cyber intrusions, romance fraud, and business email compromise fraud.
The sentence was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Troy W. Springer, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General; Evan Campanella, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security.
The case underscores ongoing efforts by U.S. authorities to protect federal relief programs from fraudulent exploitation.