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Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud - Crime - Nairaland

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Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by Ndibunna: 8:42am On Nov 14, 2019
A Nigerian woman pleaded guilty today to leading a conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine, as well as to her role in a separate bank fraud scheme, and to making false statements relating to fraudulent claims submitted to Medicaid for reimbursement.

“Tammy Olaiya is a ‘triple threat’ of criminality – drug trafficker, a fraudster, and a liar,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Olaiya, a Nigerian immigrant who has spent the last two decades with the privilege of living in the United States as lawful permanent resident, clearly has zero respect for American laws pertaining to our borders, controlled substances, our financial system, or our health care system.”

According to court documents, Temitope Ayoni Olaiya, aka “Tammy”, 40, a Nigerian national residing in Hyattsville, Maryland, recruited men from the greater Washington, D.C. area to act as drug courier; i.e., to travel to foreign countries to obtain drugs to bring back into the United States. Olaiya opened bank accounts in the couriers’ names, assisted them in obtaining passports and visas, and booked their travel arrangements. The couriers that Olaiya recruited traveled primarily to São Paulo, Brazil, where they picked up kilogram quantities of cocaine hidden in the lining of soft-sided briefcases or attaché cases. Altogether, law enforcement seized nearly seven kilograms of cocaine at three different U.S. airports from three separate couriers recruited by Olaiya.

“Every single Medicaid dollar is precious and must be carefully guarded,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Accordingly we will continue working with all our law enforcement partners to preserve these vital funds.”


In addition to the cocaine importation scheme, Olaiya also submitted falsified and fraudulent claims to the D.C. Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), a health care benefit program funded by Medicaid. Olaiya worked as a personal care aide for various home health agencies in the Washington D.C. area, and in order to receive payment for services rendered, Olaiya was required to submit timesheets signed by her clients documenting the services rendered. Instead of submitting time sheets for time actually worked providing health care services, Olaiya recruited Medicaid recipients to act as her “patients” and to sign her falsified timesheets in return for a small amount of money as a kickback. On at least two occasions, Olaiya billed DHCF for home health services she claimed to have provided while she was out of the country.

Separate and apart from the cocaine importation and the home health services scheme, Olaiya also used her African goods business in Maryland to carry out a bank fraud. Olaiya used accounts with payment platforms Square and Stripe to make fraudulent charges on stolen credit card numbers. Between June and December 2017, Olaiya submitted, or caused to be submitted, $381,500 in fraudulent credit card charges to the Stripe account. Thereafter, Olaiya switched over to Square, and in the course of about two months, racked up more than $100,000 in fraudulent charges. When Square informed Olaiya that the true account holder had challenged the transaction, Olaiya created handwritten, falsified invoices documenting items purportedly purchased by the account holder, and provided the fake invoices to Square.

Olaiya pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine, bank fraud, and making false statements relating to health care matters. She faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for the cocaine importation charge when sentenced on Feb. 28, 2020. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was prosecuted as part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation Girl From Ipanema. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the DC Office of Inspector General provided significant assistance with the investigation.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-294 and 1:19-cr-323.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/362805-nigerian-woman-pleads-guilty-to-drug-trafficking.html?fbclid=IwAR18dy7og1Qo7FqXXA65Fc5c64Ut0ST6GFb_LiSq50qNBxmx53Mfb3LzqEw

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Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by Nobody: 8:48am On Nov 14, 2019
“Tammy Olaiya is a ‘triple threat’ of criminality – drug trafficker, a fraudster, and a liar,


Just Imagine....Three in one criminal...

Jesus wept.

165 Likes 8 Shares

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by Nobody: 9:15am On Nov 14, 2019
Strength of a woman. make dem do her jeje o.

5 Likes 1 Share

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by IvarTheBoneless: 10:59am On Nov 14, 2019
Error 404 ...This can't be her real name.



NCAN disavows her. Forgery detected...

178 Likes 12 Shares

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by Nobody: 1:56pm On Nov 14, 2019
It is finished.........

8 Likes 2 Shares

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by BeeBeeOoh(m): 2:21pm On Nov 14, 2019
shocked





What will Tammy Olaiya gain from tarnishing the already tarnished and battered image of Nigeria?

40 Likes 2 Shares

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by Bbbwings: 2:22pm On Nov 14, 2019
IvarTheBoneless:
Error 404 ...This can't be her real name.



NCAN disavows her. Forgery detected...
True
It is evident.
We've disowned her a decade ago.
US should catch up

14 Likes

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by daddytime(m): 2:22pm On Nov 14, 2019
By the time she go come out, everything wey she don garner illegally go don scatter. That time na to start to dey learn lefty for old age.

Crime pays but for a while, the end thereof is always yawa upon yawa

Hustle and earn a living legit...

36 Likes 3 Shares

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by nurex01(m): 2:23pm On Nov 14, 2019
FROM where is this coming from? What's prohibited is prohibited. Don't abuse any race. Take those responsible for their behaviours.

2 Likes

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by MrImole: 2:23pm On Nov 14, 2019
Seriously?
Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by Sunofgod(m): 2:23pm On Nov 14, 2019
Nigerians.....

2 Likes

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by anonymous1759(m): 2:24pm On Nov 14, 2019
Ndibunna:


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/362805-nigerian-woman-pleads-guilty-to-drug-trafficking.html?fbclid=IwAR18dy7og1Qo7FqXXA65Fc5c64Ut0ST6GFb_LiSq50qNBxmx53Mfb3LzqEw




... We need the full names of the culprits i don't think she's the only one. I trust western media to side line theirs and Heap all the blames on the Nigerian that's how they roll.

9 Likes

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by Nobody: 2:25pm On Nov 14, 2019
dayum! seun giving ncan 50/50!

2 Likes

Re: Cocaine: Tammy Olaiya Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking And Bank Fraud by devigblegble: 2:28pm On Nov 14, 2019
Most of you are ignorant just like the western media , these lady is an American citizen but since she committed a crime, they dug out her place of origin and ignorant people like you too we say oh a Nigerian this a Nigerian that

22 Likes

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