Crime & Safety
Castro Valley Man Sentenced To Federal Prison
He fraudulently collected $1.6 million in pandemic-related unemployment benefits. Investigators found over $500,000 in cash at his home.
CASTRO VALLEY, CA — A Castro Valley man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for fraudulently collecting $1.6 million in pandemic-related unemployment benefits, federal prosecutors say.
Idowu Hashim Shittu, 48, obtained reloadable debit cards in the names of other people from various state agencies from at least April through July of 2020, prosecutors said.
The benefits were intended to assist those who became unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, Shittu acknowledged using a card to pay for service to his BMW 5-series automobile.
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On July 29, 2020, law enforcement officers searched Shittu's residence and found over $500,000 in cash split between a plastic container in a garage and a backpack under a bathroom sink.
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