Aide to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Abidemo Rufai, who was charged for $350,000 employment fraud in Washington, has been denied bail on Wednesday at the Federal Magistrate Court in New York.
Rufai was charged for unemployment fraud, when several emails were linked to his number. He was arrested while trying to flee the country on Friday.
The 42-year-old made his first appearance last Saturday in New York and appeared for a detention hearing on Wednesday.
The defendant pleaded that he should be released on bail to his brother, Alaba Rufai, who is also an attorney in New York, but was denied.
His brother, however, claimed he couldn’t come up with the $300,000 ‘surety’ bond that would ensure Abidemi appear for his trials.
The Magistrate Judge, Ramon Reyes, then ordered Abidemi Rufai to be detained and taken to the Western District of Washington.
Abidemi Rufai was accused of defrauding the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) of $650m during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, he used a single Gmail account to file 102 claims for ESD benefits, used it to file for benefits in some states like Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
A spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office in Seattle said, “We’re pleased that the defendant is being detained and will be transported to the Western District of Washington for future court proceedings.”
Abidemi is facing 30 years in prison if found guilty.
Abidemi has also being suspended by the state Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
