Former special adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun,Budemi Rufai,who was caught last week in wire fraud in the United States may have to spend more time behind the counter while his trail lasts.
Reason:The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma has ruled against granting bail to the alleged fraudster in a $350,000 coronavirus unemployment fraud,
It was gathered that the suspect was denied bail following a move by the government for “a stay of the release order’, while the United States District Judge, Benjamin Settle, has however, granted the government’s motion to stay release of Rufai.
“The release order is stayed, and the defendant shall remain in custody pending this Court’s decision on the government’s motion for review”, the court was quoted to have ordered, while it is also recalled that the United States Department of Justice had raised the alarm that the surety provided by the suspected is a suspected fraudster
It was further gathered that, the United States Department of Justice posited that the surety provided, a nurse, Nekpen Soyemi, is a suspected fraudster and should not be allowed to stand surety for Rufai.
The suspect it is recalled first appeared in court on May 19, and was denied bail he was because his brother, Alaba Rufai, who is listed in court records, could not post the $300,000 surety bond for his bail.
It will also recalled that, an aspirant in the Nigeria politics was arrested while trying to get out of the America on May 14 after allegedly using the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more that $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the coronavirus pandemic last year.
