The suspended special assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state, has pleaded guilty in a US court to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Abidemi Rufai was arrested in May 2021 at New York JFK airport, on his way to Nigeria for the offence.
US Department of Justice on Tuesday said Rufai had admitted using stolen identities to receive thousands of dollars in COVID 19 pandemic benefits.
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The department also said he admitted that since 2017, he had been obtaining identities information for more than 20,000 Americans and submitted $2 million claim for disaster relief.
The department says he eventually claimed $600,000.
Rufai, according to the US department, had agreed to make full restitution to the agencies he defrauded.
If convicted in the US Court, Rufai could be behind the bar for 32 years.
But the prosecutors in the case are recommending a jail term of at least 71 months.
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