‘Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria’ Coordinator Jailed In U.S. Over $22,988 Fraud Scheme

Washington, United States– Adepoju Babatunde Salako, a Nigeria-linked political campaigner based in the United States and identified as the Philadelphia coordinator of the pro-government group “Relax, Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria – From Promises to Progress,” has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to wire fraud connected to a 2022 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) scam.

Salako, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted by a U.S. federal court on Tuesday after admitting to orchestrating a calculated scheme aimed at defrauding the Alaska Department of Revenue by exploiting identity theft and digital manipulation.

According to detailed court filings, between January and February 2022, Salako devised and executed a fraudulent operation targeting the PFD programme — a financial benefit paid annually to eligible residents of Alaska. Investigators revealed that Salako unlawfully obtained the personal identifying information (PII) of legitimate Alaska residents and used the stolen data to submit seven separate fraudulent applications for the dividend funds.

Authorities noted that Salako had never lived in Alaska and had not even visited the state until he arrived there for sentencing in connection with the crime.

Court documents disclosed that Salako created and controlled multiple email accounts linked to each victim whose identity he stole. Using these accounts, he successfully gained unauthorized access to at least seven legitimate “myAlaska” online profiles — the official platform used by residents to apply for PFD payments.

Once inside the accounts, Salako altered critical account details, redirecting official communications to email addresses under his control. He further manipulated banking information tied to the accounts, attempting to reroute dividend payments into bank accounts he controlled.

In a deliberate attempt to evade detection, Salako deployed a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to conceal his true location. Investigators found that six of the seven fraudulent applications appeared to originate from Internet Protocol (IP) addresses within Alaska, while one was traced to Philadelphia. However, digital forensic analysis of Salako’s personal email records exposed consistent logins from the same Philadelphia IP address, ultimately linking him to the scheme.

The Alaska Department of Revenue flagged the suspicious applications during routine checks and successfully blocked all seven fraudulent claims. At the time, each eligible resident was entitled to receive $3,284. Officials stated that without these safeguards, Salako would have illegally obtained a total of $22,988 from the programme and his victims.

Salako pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud. The court ruled that his 18-month sentence will run concurrently with a separate conviction in the District of Colorado, where he had earlier been sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment for offences involving COVID-19 relief fraud and international money laundering. In that case, he was also ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution.

Reacting to the conviction, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska condemned Salako’s actions, stating, “Mr. Salako spent considerable time planning and perpetrating his scheme to defraud the Alaska PFD. 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.”

Similarly, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office emphasized the significance of the case, noting that government programmes must be protected from abuse.

“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, Investigations Manager at the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigations Unit, also issued a stern warning, stating, “This case should send a clear message that stealing an identity to exploit the Permanent Fund Dividend will not be tolerated. The Department of Revenue remains committed to protecting Alaskans from financial fraud and holding accountable anyone who seeks to profit through deception.”

The case was jointly investigated by the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigations Unit, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney led the prosecution.