Nigerian national Promise Okafor is serving a nine-year federal prison sentence in the United States for masterminding a multi-state unemployment benefits scam that netted over $2.7 million. He was arrested alongside his wife, Joyce Emengini, in March 2021 at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport after authorities found over 200 ATM cards in their possession.
Legal documents reviewed by Peoples Gazette reveal that phones and laptops seized during the arrest contained solid evidence of the couple’s involvement in an elaborate fraud scheme. According to a sworn affidavit from James Buck, a special agent with the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the couple used numerous fake identities to apply for dozens of unemployment insurance debit cards across multiple states.
Surveillance footage captured the duo using these fraudulent debit cards at ATMs in Ohio, Nevada, California, Virginia, and Arizona, withdrawing nearly $3 million illicitly.
In a plea deal, only Okafor was indicted in September 2022, allowing his wife to care for their infant child. Okafor pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and failure to appear at a pre-trial hearing in December 2022.
On April 10, 2023, Judge Mark Pitman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas sentenced Okafor to 108 months in prison. The court ordered him to repay the $2.7 million, with specific restitution amounts allocated to employment security agencies in Arizona, Ohio, California, Nevada, and Virginia.
Upon completing his sentence in 2029, Okafor is scheduled for deportation to Nigeria. His recent request for early release was denied, meaning he is expected to serve his full term.
