National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Abidemi Rufai, a close associate of Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, has been released from a United States prison after serving time for multimillion-dollar fraud.
Rufai, 47, known as a Lagos-based socialite, was freed from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ Fort Dix facility in New Jersey on November 15, 2024.
He is now set to be deported to Nigeria, having waived his rights to challenge deportation as part of his 2022 guilty plea. His Nigerian passport was returned to him in October following a motion to reduce his sentence.
In 2022, Rufai pleaded guilty to charges of tax fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. prosecutors presented extensive evidence, including over 100,000 pages of documentation, leading to his sentencing of 60 months in prison.
He was also ordered to pay $607,000 in restitution to U.S. government agencies.
Initially scheduled for release in February 2025, Rufai benefitted from updated sentencing guidelines, which allowed him to leave prison three months early.
Back in Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured a court order to seize Rufai’s mansion in Lekki and freeze his bank accounts as part of a local fraud case.
Rufai, popularly known as “Elele Ruffy,” had a longstanding reputation as a ringleader in internet fraud operations in Lagos and Ogun states before expanding his criminal activities to the U.S., where he was eventually caught.
During his incarceration, he shared the same prison facility as other infamous Nigerian fraudsters, including Ramon Abbas (Hushpuppi) and Jacob Ponle (Mr. Woodberry), who are still serving sentences for separate crimes.
It remains unclear whether Rufai will resume his role as an aide to Governor Abiodun upon his return to Nigeria.
This association has drawn public scrutiny, particularly as Abiodun himself faced unresolved allegations of fraud during his time in the United States decades ago.
