US Court Jails France-Based Nigerian Newton Jemide for $8M Disaster Fraud Scheme

A United States District Court has sentenced 47-year-old Newton Ofioritse Jemide, a Nigerian national residing in France, to 41 months in prison for his involvement in an $8 million disaster relief fraud.

On Tuesday, July 2, 2025, Judge Deborah K. Chasanow of a U.S. District Court handed down the sentence after Jemide pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges.

Jemide, who was extradited from France to the U.S., conspired with others to steal identities of American citizens and fraudulently obtain federal disaster relief funds intended for wildfire victims in 2016 and 2017.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), Jemide and his accomplices opened hundreds of Green Dot debit card accounts using stolen personal information. These cards were then loaded with relief funds from FEMA and other federal agencies, totalling at least $8 million.

The fraud ring used U.S.-based collaborators to purchase the cards, while their Nigerian counterparts including Jemide coordinated the scam from abroad.

The group used various tactics to conceal their identities, including making withdrawals at multiple locations and laundering the stolen funds through money orders and shell accounts.

The scam is part of a broader wave of disaster-related fraud schemes targeting U.S. federal relief programs. Jemide’s arrest and extradition followed a lengthy investigation involving U.S. and international authorities.

Jemide’s conviction adds to the growing list of Nigerian nationals implicated in cybercrime and benefits fraud abroad, often sparking international cooperation on law enforcement.

“Newton Ofioritse Jemide, 47, a Nigerian national extradited from France, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison… He must also pay $520,431 in restitution and forfeit $311,036 to the U.S. government,” the DoJ said in a statement released Wednesday.