Texas Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Economic Impact Disaster Loans (EIDL)

U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Mississippi

Jackson, Miss. – A Texas man was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay restitution for illegally obtaining more than $400,000 in government benefits.

According to court documents, Ganiyu Abayomi Jimoh, 30, a Nigerian national with dual United States citizenship, conspired with others to commit wire fraud by opening numerous bank accounts in Hinds, Madison, and Rankin Counties using other individuals’ personal identifying information, then fraudulently applying for multiple Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through the Small Business Administration (SBA). In August and September 2020, Jimoh received four direct deposits from the SBA totaling $439,500.

At the time of the instant offense, Jimoh was on federal bond out of the Southern District of Texas.  Although Jimoh lived in Houston, Texas, he traveled to Mississippi on multiple occasions to visit different banks.

Jimoh pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentence will be served consecutively to an undischarged term of imprisonment on federal offenses committed in the Southern District of Texas.

“The United States Secret Service is committed to investigating and pursuing those who aim to take advantage of victims while trying to exploit our nation’s financial infrastructure,” said Kyle Smith, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Jackson Resident Office. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, this individual will be held responsible for these crimes.”

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis made the announcement.

The United States Secret Service investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie prosecuted the case.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization that expands states’ ability to provide unemployment insurance for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who are not ordinarily eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.  Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.