Nigerian couple used names of the ‘highly acclaimed’ in elaborate fraud scheme, feds say
One half of a Nigerian couple accused of stealing nearly $1 million from the federal government through bogus applications for retirement benefits and disaster aid has been sentenced to prison.
Ivie Shevon Sajere, who lives in Suwanee, Georgia, will spend two years and six months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to her role in the alleged scam last year, a district court judge said. The 38-year-old was also ordered to pay $949,616 in restitution.
The government’s case against her husband, Neville Sajere, is ongoing. He “appears to have fled the United States and avoided prosecution,” according to court filings.
“This was a massive fraud that impacted two government agencies and harmed thousands of victims across the country whose identities were stolen,” U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine said in a statement. “(Ivie) Sajere’s prison sentence is the culmination of a complicated investigation and prosecution and serves as a cautionary tale to other fraudsters similarly minded.”
Defense attorneys representing the Sajeres did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Tuesday, April 26.
Prosecutors in the Northern District of Georgia said the Sajeres are Nigerian citizens who live in Georgia and own several companies — including a Nigerian streaming service and production company, an African gospel award show business and a clothing store.
Ivie Sajere’s alleged involvement in the scheme started in June 2017.
According to the government, unknown individuals used stolen personal information to file applications online for Social Security retirement benefits and Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief aid. Those same individuals also opened bogus accounts with Go Bank, a financial institution that uses prepaid debit cards known as Green Dot cards, into which the Social Security and FEMA funds could be deposited.
Neville Sajere had control over the Green Dot cards that belonged to those accounts and used them on at least two occasions to buy airline tickets, according to the indictment.
Once the money hit the Green Dot card, prosecutors said, Ivie Sajere funneled the cash through one of their three businesses: Nevada Bridge TV, the streaming service and production company owned by her husband; BAGMA, the gospel award show business also owned by her husband; and Shevonz, the clothing store she owned.
She did so by generating digital payments on Square, Stripe and PayPal, the government said.
Prosecutors said the victims whose names and identities were used to apply for the federal funds were “often individuals highly acclaimed in their fields.”
“It appears that these individuals were targeted because, even though they were of retirement age, they had not filed for SSA retirement benefits and did not need disaster benefit relief,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Thus, the fraudsters had a better chance of getting the applications approved. The victims included a movie director, an award-winning journalist, the daughter of a legendary movie director, and a highly esteemed academic.”
The names of those individuals are not publicly available as they are the victims of a crime.
The alleged scheme lasted until September 2018, the government said. Along the way, the Sajeres were also accused of trying to become U.S. citizens through fraudulent marriages.
Neville Sajere married a U.S. citizen in April 2017, according to the indictment. Ivie Sajere reportedly followed suit in July that year. Court documents state that she offered a U.S. Army veteran who was “unemployed and candidly acknowledged that he needed the money” $3,500 to marry her.
The ploy failed, prosecutors said, and both of their would-be partners were ultimately charged with marriage fraud. A judge later sentenced them to periods of probation.
A grand jury indicted the Sajeres in January 2020 on 31 counts of bank fraud, identity theft, money laundering and marriage fraud. Ivie Sajere was arrested and had her initial court appearance in June that year, court documents show.
She was released after posting a $10,000 bond.
Ivie Sajere ultimately pleaded guilty on Nov. 30 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. As part of the plea agreement, she agreed to pay $681,588 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and $268,028 to FEMA.
The judge recommended Ivie Sajere serve her sentence in a federal prison close to Atlanta. Prosecutors said she will likely be deported after its completion.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Nigerian couple used names of the ‘highly acclaimed’ in elaborate fraud scheme, feds say."
