FBI Nabs Nigerian For Forging Academic Records To Feign U.S. University Admission
A 24-year-old Nigerian, Mercy Ojedeji has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for forging academic transcripts to secure admission into the University of Missouri in St Louis County and obtain a tuition waiver of $49,000, stipends, and other benefits.
Ojedeji, forged his transcripts, resume, letters of recommendation, and an English Language proficiency report to strengthen his application for a PhD programme in Chemistry.
After getting admission in Fall 2023 and opening a bank account with the fraudulently obtained credentials, Ojedeji began to skip classes.
He was also said to have failed to take up his assistantship duties or even join a research group, inaction that eventually led to his expulsion from the school in February 2024 and the revocation of his student visa.
Ojedeji first got on the FBI radar after a deluge of complaints from romance scam victims led the agents to his girlfriend’s house which was an address used to receive cash and gift cards.
FBI agents tracked 35 Express Mail packages sent to the address within two weeks, specifically between December 19, 2023, and January 4, 2024.
A statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Thursday noted that a search warrant was issued by the court for the residence, and agents discovered that “a total of 193 packages were sent to the home through the Postal Services Express Mail, Federal Express, and United Parcel Service during Ojedeji’s relationship with the woman.”
Ojedeji pleaded guilty to using forged immigration documents and wire fraud in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis as U.S. prosecutors argued that his intended scam exceeded $1 million.
The Nigerian national faces a 20-year prison sentence
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
