Six charged in $80M COVID-19 fraud scheme

Six individuals have been accused of attempting to steal nearly $80 million in COVID-19 relief funds. This announcement was made on Thursday by officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Among the accused, three are from New Jersey. They are Nosakhare Nobor, 29, from Edgewater; Solomon Aluko, 29, from Hackensack; and Jorge Gonzalez, 28, from North Bergen. The other three suspects are Shan Anand, 34, from Queens, New York; Nicholas Pappas, 28, from Miami, Florida; and Leonard Ujkic, 44, from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The group reportedly used fake identities to deposit around $50 million. They now face multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. This case highlights ongoing efforts to combat fraud related to relief funds.