A 24-year-old Nigerian student has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges in the United States, including wire fraud and immigration fraud, after allegedly securing admission to a PhD program using fake documents and later being linked to a $1 million romance scam.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced that Mercy Ojedeji entered his guilty plea on Thursday, April 10, before a federal judge in St. Louis.
According to court documents, Ojedeji used falsified academic transcripts, recommendation letters, a fabricated resume, and a fake English proficiency test to obtain a U.S. student visa. With it, he enrolled in the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in Fall 2023.
While in the U.S., he acquired a Social Security number, Missouri driver’s license, housing, a bank account, and received over $49,000 in tuition and stipends.
However, he was dismissed from the university in January 2024 for failing to attend classes or participate in research, resulting in the loss of his visa status.
Despite this, prosecutors say Ojedeji attempted to use his invalid visa to apply for a new state-issued driver’s license in February 2024.
Further investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service revealed that Ojedeji may be tied to a wider fraud scheme. Authorities uncovered 35 express mail packages linked to his partner’s residence, which were connected to Nigerian IP addresses.
A search warrant later revealed 193 packages sent during the couple’s relationship. At least 17 of them contained $94,150 in cash and gift cards. Investigators estimate the total loss from the scheme exceeds $1 million.
While Ojedeji admitted to visa and wire fraud, he has denied any involvement in the romance scam. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10.
He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud, and up to 10 years for immigration fraud.
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