A 24-year-old Nigerian man, Mercy Ojedeji, has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and immigration fraud in the United States after admitting to using fake documents to gain entry into a PhD program and obtain a student visa. The plea was entered on Wednesday, April 9, in a U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Missouri, with a statement confirming the development released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Ojedeji confessed to fraudulently securing admission into the University of Missouri’s chemistry PhD program in Fall 2023 using falsified academic transcripts, forged recommendation letters, a fake resume, and a fabricated English language proficiency report. With the fraudulent documents, he successfully acquired a U.S. student visa, which allowed him to receive a Social Security card, a Missouri state driver’s license, housing, a bank account, and a university stipend and tuition waiver valued at over $49,000. However, his academic deception came to light when he failed to attend classes or participate in research, leading to his dismissal from the program in January 2024.
Prosecutors said that despite his dismissal and the consequent termination of his visa, Ojedeji used the now-invalid document to obtain a state driver’s license on February 26, 2024. The investigation into his activities reportedly began when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service received complaints that victims of a romance fraud scheme were mailing cash and gift cards to his partner’s residence. Authorities traced 35 Express Mail packages—sent between December 19, 2023, and January 4, 2024—to Nigerian IP addresses.
A court-approved search of the residence uncovered 193 packages sent via various delivery services—including the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS—during Ojedeji’s relationship with the woman. Seventeen of the packages contained $94,150 in cash and gift cards, while the total estimated loss from the scheme is believed to exceed $1 million. Despite the mounting evidence, Ojedeji has denied any involvement in the romance fraud itself.
Ojedeji faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud, with an additional 10-year maximum sentence and another $250,000 fine for immigration fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2025, when the court will determine the total losses and penalties.
