Man linked to Washington Employment Security Department fraud pleads guilty
A Nigerian man has admitted taking part in a conspiracy to loot both Washington State's Employment Security Department and state of Pennsylvania unemployment insurance funds, handing federal law enforcement officials the first conviction in a sweeping fraud that hobbled several states, the Business Journal has learned.
Esogie Osawaru, 27, also known as "Milk Anthony," has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and unlawful monetary transactions, court records show.
He has agreed to forfeit up to $1.3 million in assets he may own that are the proceeds from unemployment insurance fraud schemes and various other online scams, which saw him fleece victims in online romance schemes, according to court records filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.
Osawaru signed an agreement to plead guilty on Aug. 24th, but that was not announced publicly until Nov. 13. Although that announcement made no specific mention of his involvement in Washington state's ESD fraud, it has been confirmed by officials here and in U.S. District court documents.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2020/12/18/wa-esd-fraud-guilty-plea-wire-fraud-nigerian-fbi.html
