Nigerian-Born US Citizen Jailed 78 Months Over $921,000 Student Aid Fraud

A US federal court has sentenced Emmanuel Olugbaike Finnih, a Nigerian-born naturalised US citizen, to 78 months in prison for a student financial-aid fraud scheme that ran for about five years. Prosecutors said Finnih submitted more than 100 fraudulent aid applications to colleges and universities across Texas. He allegedly used stolen identities, false academic transcripts, controlled mailing addresses and bank accounts to seek more than $1.3 million in federal grants and loans. About $921,189 was paid out. The scheme left some victims with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans they did not apply for, damaging their credit records and affecting their ability to enrol in school. Finnih pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, fraud, identity-document offences and aggravated identity theft. He will serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term and has been allowed to surrender voluntarily to a federal prison facility to be assigned.

Use The App To Win ₦1m

Stories are shared by community members. This article does not represent the official view of NaijaWorld — the author is solely responsible for its content.