The Financial Investigations Division says protecting the country’s financial system from abuse by criminals and ensuring that financial fraud does not go unchecked remains a top priority.
February 11, 2025
NEW YORK, United States – A former New York City Department of Homeless Services fraud investigator was sentenced to 27 months in prison Tuesday after admitting to stealing homeless people’s identities to get unemployment benefits.
Olabanji Otufale pleaded guilty on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says in 2020, Otufale, whose job comprised of ensuring individuals who applied for homeless services were qualified to receive them, conspired with others to steal the personal information of more than 10 such people, from a database he had access to.
The information which included names, social security numbers, and dates of birth—was then used to apply for unemployment insurance benefits in the names of those people without their knowledge or consent.
Otufale’s co-conspirator Marc Lazarre is to be sentenced in the coming weeks.