Nigerian jailed 18 months in US for Alaska wire fraud

Adepoju Salako, 33-year-old Nigerian man from Philadelphia, sentenced to 18 months in US federal prison for wire fraud scheme targeting Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend program. Salako used stolen personal identification information of legitimate Alaskan residents to submit seven fraudulent applications between January and February 2022, attempting to unlawfully obtain their PFD payments. The 18-month sentence runs concurrently with his previous 6.5-year sentence for COVID-19 relief fraud and money laundering, where he was ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution. Salako had never lived in Alaska before traveling there specifically for sentencing this week. The case demonstrates serious consequences for international financial fraud, with US authorities actively pursuing cross-border schemes involving stolen identities and government benefit programs.

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/05/23/nigerian-man-jailed-in-us-over-wire-fraud-scheme/