A Nigerian national has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining a student visa, Social Security card, driver license, and other documents, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Mercy Ojedeji, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday. Prosecutors said Ojedeji used counterfeit academic transcripts and other fraudulent materials to gain admission to the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in fall 2023. He also received a stipend and tuition waiver valued at over $49,000.
Authorities said Ojedeji participated in money mule activities with Shirley Waller, who is currently serving a 93-month sentence for aiding online scammers and committing pandemic and mortgage fraud. The government alleged that Ojedeji and Waller funneled proceeds from Waller’s criminal activities to Nigeria through a bank account opened using fraudulent documents. Investigators found that 193 packages were sent to their shared residence; law enforcement seized 17 packages containing $94,150. The total intended loss from their activities was estimated at more than $1 million.
Victims of the scam suffered significant losses. One victim wrote to Judge Autrey about losing $47,000 after being deceived by a false story involving an orthopedic surgeon working in Jordan: “It is a terrible shame there are such people existing to steal money from innocent victims such as myself,” she wrote. Another victim experienced water service disconnection for a month due to sending money to scammers.
Ojedeji pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents and one count of wire fraud. After failing to attend classes or join a research group at the university, he was terminated from the graduate program in January 2024, which also ended his student visa status.
Despite this termination, on February 26, 2024, Ojedeji used his invalid visa and other documents to obtain a Missouri driver license. This license was then used to open the bank account through which he and Waller forwarded proceeds from their schemes.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use. With the collaborative efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others in order to enrich themselves. Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the FBI and Town and Country Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted.
