Seattle – A Nigerian citizen has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Seattle on multiple counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Chukwuemeka Onyegbula, a/k/a Phillip Carter, is currently detained in Nigeria.
According to the indictment, law enforcement linked an email account belonging to the suspect by linking the name ‘Phillip Carter’ to at least 253 fraudulent unemployment insurance filings in 17 states, including Washington.
Nearly $290,000 was paid out in unemployment claims. Additionally, nearly $54,000 was paid out in fraudulent disaster loans.
Evidence gathered indicates the suspect is employed as an IT engineer with Pan Ocean Oil Corporation in Nigeria.