A fraudster in Castro Valley, California has recently been sentenced to 2½ years in prison for illicitly obtaining millions of dollars through fraudulent means directed at the COVID-19 relief programs, according to the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG).
Idowu Hashim Shittu, a 48-year-old resident of Castro Valley, found himself at the center of a substantial fraud scheme, involving the theft of unemployment benefits amidst the ongoing pandemic. On August 18, U.S. District Court Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. sentenced Shittu, who had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges on March 1.
Shittu's criminal escapades began in April 2020 and stretched across several months. He fraudulently obtained reloadable debit cards, known as "Green Dot Cards," that were issued in the names of other unsuspecting individuals. These cards contained unemployment benefits distributed by various state agencies as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As KTVU previously reported, Shittu admitted that the actual losses resulting from his fraudulent actions could have reached a staggering $3.5 million.
Shittu brazenly used the benefits on these cards to fund personal expenditures, siphoning resources desperately needed by those affected by the pandemic. Monetary transactions carried out by Shittu include charging about $1,000 at a Walmart store in San Jose and making several cash withdrawals at other Walmart locations, all done through the stolen Green Dot Cards. He even used someone else's card to pay for service to his BMW 5-series automobile, paying no heed to the suffering of others during this crisis.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp noted that, "Shittu stole more than $2.2 million in unemployment benefits by using the identities of innocent victims. His scheme deprived those truly in need during the pandemic crisis, and he will now face the consequences of his actions."
The discovery of Shittu's fraudulent activities was a shocking revelation. In July 2020, law enforcement officers searched his home and found a hoard of over $500,000 in cash, hidden in a plastic container in his garage and a backpack stashed under a bathroom sink, as reported via the DOL-OIG. Moreover, over 400 Green Dot Cards issued to other people were found, which were loaded with over $1.6 million in benefits from different state agencies.
