Adepoju Babatunde Salako, identified as the Philadelphia, United States Coordinator of the pro-Tinubu group, Relax Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria (Promises to Progress), has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in the United States after pleading guilty to multiple counts of wire fraud linked to a 2022 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend fraud scheme.
Salako, 33, was sentenced on Tuesday by a U.S. court after admitting to orchestrating a scheme aimed at illegally obtaining funds meant for residents of Alaska through identity theft and online fraud.
According to court documents released by U.S. authorities, Salako fraudulently obtained the personal identifying information (PII) of legitimate residents of Alaska and used the stolen information to file fraudulent applications for Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) payments administered by the Alaska Department of Revenue.
Investigators disclosed that between January and February 2022, Salako submitted seven separate fraudulent applications using the identities of genuine Alaskan residents in a bid to divert their PFD payments into bank accounts under his control.
Authorities noted that Salako had never resided in Alaska and had never travelled to the state until his eventual appearance there for sentencing in the criminal case.
Court records revealed that Salako created multiple fake email accounts tied to the victims whose identities he allegedly stole.
Using the stolen information, he reportedly gained unauthorized access to at least seven existing “myAlaska” online accounts — the official platform through which Alaska residents apply for Permanent Fund Dividend benefits.
Once access was gained, prosecutors said Salako altered account details to ensure official communications from the “myAlaska” portal were redirected to email addresses he controlled.
He also allegedly changed the beneficiaries’ banking details so that any approved PFD payments would be transferred into accounts linked to him.
Investigators further stated that Salako attempted to conceal his real identity and location by deploying a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to make it appear as though six of the seven fraudulent applications originated from internet protocol addresses within Alaska.
However, authorities said one of the applications was submitted using an IP address traced to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
According to prosecutors, records obtained from Salako’s personal email account also reflected login activity connected to the same Philadelphia IP address, ultimately linking him directly to the fraud operation.
The Alaska Department of Revenue eventually detected irregularities in the applications and flagged them as fraudulent before any payments could be successfully released.
Officials stated that in 2022, each eligible Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend recipient was entitled to receive $3,284.
Authorities said Salako’s scheme, if successful, would have resulted in the fraudulent diversion of approximately $22,988 from the State of Alaska and the identity theft victims involved.
The U.S. court ordered that his 18-month prison sentence would run concurrently with an existing sentence imposed in a separate criminal matter in the District of Colorado.
In the Colorado case, Salako had earlier been sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment over a COVID-19 relief fraud and international money laundering scheme.
He was also ordered in that case to pay $2.5 million in restitution to victims.
Reacting to the conviction, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska said Salako invested considerable effort into planning and executing the fraud scheme.
“Mr. Salako spent considerable time planning and perpetrating his scheme to defraud the Alaska PFD,” Heyman said.
“Thanks to the great work of the Alaska Department of Revenue and FBI, he didn’t succeed; but even attempting to defraud the PFD will not be tolerated and could result in federal prison.”
Also speaking, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office said the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend programme exists to benefit qualified residents and not fraudsters seeking to exploit public funds through identity theft.
“The Alaska PFD program is intended to benefit current and future generations of eligible Alaskans, not criminals like Salako who seek to exploit the program through fraud and identity theft,” Schlegel said.
“Despite efforts to mask his identity, Salako was identified through strong program safeguards and diligent investigative work in partnership with the Alaska Department of Revenue.
“This sentence reflects our commitment to safeguarding the integrity of government programs and holding fraudsters accountable for their crimes, regardless of where they reside.”
Scott Stair, Department Investigations Manager of the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigations Unit, also warned against identity theft and financial fraud targeting the Permanent Fund Dividend scheme.
“This case should send a clear message that stealing an identity to exploit the Permanent Fund Dividend will not be tolerated,” Stair stated.
“The Department of Revenue remains committed to protecting Alaskans from financial fraud and holding accountable anyone who seeks to profit through deception.”
The investigation was jointly carried out by the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Alaska Department of Revenue.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney prosecuted the case.
