Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Student Visa, Other Documents

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a Nigerian national to 41 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining a student visa and admission to the University of Missouri as well as a Social Security card, a driver license, a bank account and an apartment.

Mercy Ojedeji, 26, also participated in the money mule activities of Shirley Waller. Waller is serving a 93-month prison sentence after admitting aiding online scammers and committing pandemic and mortgage fraud. The government alleged that Ojedeji and Waller used a fraudulently opened bank account to funnel the proceeds of Waller’s criminal activities to Nigeria. A total of 193 packages were sent to the home Waller and Ojedeji shared, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that the total intended loss of the pair’s activities was more than $1 million, based on the $94,150 contained in the 17 packages seized by law enforcement.

In a letter to Judge Autrey, one victim who lost $47,000 to the scam described being duped by a tale of a lonely, widowed orthopedic surgeon working in in a refugee hospital in Jordan. “It is a terrible shame there are such people existing to steal money from innocent victims such as myself,” she wrote. Another had their water cut off for a month due to non-payment after sending money to scammers.

Ojedeji pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents and one count of wire fraud. He admitted using counterfeit academic transcripts, recommendations, a resume and a report about his English language proficiency to obtain a student visa from the University of Missouri and admission to the chemistry PhD program in the fall of 2023. Ojedeji also obtained a stipend and a tuition waiver worth more than $49,000. Ojedeji presented his student visa and other documents to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card and used the fraudulently issued Social Security number and other documents to open a bank account. He also used the Social Security number and documents produced by his paramour, Waller, to rent an apartment. After Ojedeji failed to attend classes, his assistantship or join a research group, the university terminated him from the graduate program in January 2024. This also resulted in the termination of his student visa. On Feb. 26, 2024, Ojedeji used his fraudulently obtained and now invalid visa and other documents to obtain a Missouri driver license. The driver’s license was subsequently used to open the bank account through which he and Waller forwarded the proceeds of Waller’s money mule activities.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use.  With the collaborative efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others in order to enrich themselves.  Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI and the Town and Country Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.