Monday, 31 May 2021: Abidemi Rufai, a suspended aide of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, is to be arraigned on fraud charges before a United States Courthouse, in Tacoma, Washington, on June 8, 2021.

He will appear before Theresa Fricke, a U.S. magistrate.

This development comes after a federal grand jury ratified the charges involving conspiracy, wire fraud and “aggravated identity theft”.

He allegedly used the identity theft as a scheme “to steal over $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department.”

A grand jury in the U.S. is a group of citizens empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought.

CEOAFRICA reports that nine counts of wire fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft were ratified by the grand jury against Rufai.

Recall Rufai was nabbed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York while heading to Nigeria on May 14.

He was said to have used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department, (ESD), during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.