INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to wire fraud and theft after stealing more than $800,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.

Temitope S. Adeboye, 32, also pleaded guilty to false identity documents offenses, which he used to steal said benefits.

In 2020, Congress passed The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act which provided funding for people who did not have a job. In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID‑19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.

According to court documents, starting on an unknown date until Aug. 6, 2020, Adeboye obtained and used unemployment debit cards from Nevada in the names of identity theft victims.

The Department of Justice said in a release, “These individuals had not applied for unemployment benefits. In some instances, when the identity theft victim applied for benefits themselves, they learned that someone had already applied using their identity information.

“Adeboye used the fraudulent unemployment benefits debit cards to purchase money orders and other items of value. When asked to verify his identity by cashiers, Adeboye used fake IDs in the names of the identity theft victims. He later used money orders that were purchased with stolen unemployment benefits to buy a Lexus.”

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested Adeboye after a traffic stop on Aug. 6, 2023. Police said he was driving on a suspended license.

During a search of his vehicle, officers found: 96 unemployment debit cards issued by the State of Nevada, each under a different name; a Kroger receipt for $1,501.76; multiple money orders issued by Western Union, U.S. Postal Service, and MoneyGram; and U.S. currency totaling $76,680.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers said this in the release.

As the pandemic raged across the country in 2020, fraudsters embraced the motto, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste.’ While countless individuals experienced tremendous grief as loved ones passed away and the strain of isolation grew, this defendant saw an opportunity to steal money and identities. The Department of Justice and our partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement are committed to identifying and prosecuting the criminals who took advantage of the global crisis to scheme and steal. This prison sentence demonstrates that these thieves will have a price to pay in federal court.”

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana

Adeboye was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison. He will also have to pay $804,460.54 in restitution following his release from prison.