The traditional ruler of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Oloyede, has been sentenced to more than four years in a U.S. prison for COVID-19 relief fraud—his second major fraud conviction in America.

Oloyede, 62, who holds both Nigerian and U.S. citizenship and lives in Medina, Ohio, received 56 months in federal prison on August 26, 2025. A U.S. District Court also ordered him to repay $4.4 million, forfeit his Medina home, and serve three years of supervised release after jail.

According to prosecutors, Oloyede and an accomplice, Edward Oluwasanmi, filed fake applications for U.S. government loans meant to help small businesses survive the pandemic. Oluwasanmi was sentenced to just over two years behind bars and must repay about $1.2 million.

Not His First Run-In with U.S. Law

Court records show this isn’t Oloyede’s first conviction. Back in the early 1990s, he and an immigration lawyer were found guilty of selling false documents to help immigrants stay in the United States illegally. The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld that conviction in 1992.

Tension Back Home in Ipetumodu

News of the latest sentence has thrown Oloyede’s hometown into confusion. Some community members want to keep the throne open until he returns, while others are calling for a new monarch right away.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has now directed the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to “take action” on the leadership crisis in Ipetumodu.