A Pennsylvania man who allegedly used the stolen identities of seven Alaskans in an attempt to steal their Permanent Fund Dividends in 2022 is pleading guilty to federal wire fraud charges.
Federal prosecutors say Adepoju Babatunde Salako, 33, got control of the seven Alaskans’ myAlaska accounts – which are used to file for Alaska’s annual oil wealth fund distribution, known as the PFD – and changed their email addresses to accounts he controlled and the routing information from their bank accounts to accounts he controlled.
Salako used what’s called a Virtual Private Network to make it appear as though six of the seven online PFD applications he filed in the Alaskans’ names had come from Alaska. But one application came from an Internet Protocol address in Philadelphia, which Salako had used to login to his personal email account.
That’s according to a charging document and a plea agreement filed in federal court Tuesday. The alleged offenses occurred in January and February of 2022. The court filings list the Alaskans whose PFDs Salako allegedly tried to steal only by their initials.
The state of Alaska determined that all seven of the PFD applications were fraudulent and denied them, prosecutors said in a news release. If Salako had been successful, he would’ve gotten nearly $23,000 [$22,988.00] in PFD money, according to a plea agreement Salako signed Sept. 24, six days before the agreement and the charges were filed in Alaska.
The PFD money Salako allegedly tried to steal is far less than the COVID-19 relief funds he is accused of stealing in Colorado, though.
Salako has also agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges in that case, filed in May, in which prosecutors say he applied for and received benefits under the CARES Act designed to help businesses struggling during the pandemic.
Under that plea agreement, which Salako also signed Sept. 24, prosecutors say he owes restitution of more than $5.7 million [$5,781,631.50], with the final amount to be determined at sentencing.
According to the Colorado plea agreement, Salako owned Pennsylvania-based Tudor Smart Phones and Accessories and had worked with a co-conspirator based in Nigeria.
In addition to the restitution, Salako faces up to 20 years on each of two criminal counts he has agreed to plead guilty to in the Colorado case, as well as possible fines. He also faces up to 20 years on each of the seven counts of wire fraud in Alaska, to run concurrently with the prison time in Colorado, as well as the possibility of additional fines.
There are no sentencing dates set in either the Alaska or Colorado cases.
Salako’s attorney in the Colorado case did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He did not have an attorney listed in the Alaska case as of Wednesday.
As for the 2025 Permanent Fund Dividend, eligible Alaskans are set to receive $1,000 payments starting Thursday.
