The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested Mercy Ojedeji, a Nigerian who forged academic transcripts to secure admission into the University of Missouri in St Louis County and obtain a tuition waiver of $49,000, stipends and other benefits.
Investigations showed that Mr Ojedeji, 24, forged his transcripts, resume, letters of recommendation and an English Language proficiency report to strengthen his application for a PhD programme in Chemistry.
After getting the admission in Fall 2023 and opening a bank account with the fraudulently-obtained credentials, Mr Ojedeji began to skip classes. He also failed to take up his assistantship duties or even join a research group, an action that eventually led to his expulsion from the school in February 2024 and the revocation of his student visa.
Mr Ojedeji first got on the FBI radar after a deluge of complaints from romance scam victims led the agents to his girlfriend’s house which was an address used to receive cash and gift cards.
FBI agents tracked 35 Express Mail packages sent to the address within two weeks, specifically between December 19, 2023 and January 4, 2024.
Court issued a search warrant for the residence, and agents discovered that “a total of 193 packages were sent to the home through the Postal Services Express Mail, Federal Express, and United Parcel Service during Ojedeji’s relationship with the woman,” a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Thursday, April 10.
Mr Ojedeji pleaded guilty to using forged immigration documents and wire fraud in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis as U.S. prosecutors argued that his intended scam exceeded $1 million.
The Nigerian national faces a 20-year prison sentence.