A Providence, R.I., man pleaded guilty to participating in an international fraud scheme to defraud the federally funded pandemic unemployment compensation program of more than $70,000, and to defraud an Alabama-based property title company of an additional $80,000.
Obryan Poku, 29, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count each of theft of public funds and money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17.
As reflected in court documents, after living in Texas for two years, Poku returned to Rhode Island in June 2021 while continuing to collect pandemic unemployment insurance benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). On approximately 10 occasions, Poku made fraudulent statements in the course of recertifying online benefits applications, falsely attesting he was not receiving any other income, when in fact he was. Poku subsequently received pandemic unemployment benefits totaling $14,042 that he was not entitled to receive.
Additionally, Poku conspired with individuals in Ghana to launder $70,644 in pandemic unemployment benefits received from the Illinois Department of Economic Security; those benefits were obtained by individuals working with Poku, using the stolen personal identification information of three individuals. The Illinois benefit payments were directed to a bank account controlled by Poku, who then wired a portion of the money to his co-conspirators in Ghana, while keeping a portion for himself.
In yet another scheme detailed in court filings, Poku conspired with individuals in Ghana in an attempt to defraud an Alabama-based title company. To carry out the scheme, Poku or a member of the conspiracy sent an $80,000 check to the title company, purportedly as earnest money for a pending real estate transaction. Approximately two weeks after the check was placed in escrow by the title company, the co-conspirators sent the company an email stating that the property purchase had fallen through and requested the $80,000 earnest payment be reimbursed to an investment company. It was later determined by investigators that the investment company had been created by Poku just days prior to the request for reimbursement.
Shortly after the funds were transferred to Poku’s company account, the title company was notified that the original check was fraudulent and that the funds in Poku’s company’s account had been frozen. Poku then attempted to access the funds by repeatedly calling the bank and falsely stating the funds were sent from business partners, and later, by family members.
Poku is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Seaman.
The matter was investigated by the FBI’s Rhode Island Complex Financial Crimes Task Force.