A Pennsylvania man has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud Alaska’s 2022 Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) program. According to court documents, Adepoju Babatunde Salako, 33, of Philadelphia, allegedly obtained personal information from legitimate Alaskan residents and used it to submit fraudulent PFD applications.
Authorities state that between January and February 2022, Salako created new email accounts under his control for each victim. He then used their personal data to access at least seven “myAlaska” online accounts—the platform used by Alaskans to apply for the PFD. After gaining access, he changed account details so communications would be directed to his email addresses and redirected payment information so that funds would be deposited into bank accounts he controlled.
The investigation also alleges that Salako attempted to hide his identity by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), making it appear as if six of the applications were submitted from Alaska. One application was traced back to an IP address in Philadelphia. Records from Salako’s own email account showed logins from this same Philadelphia IP address.
The State of Alaska identified the applications as fraudulent and denied them.
If convicted, Salako faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of wire fraud. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Acting Commissioner Janelle Earls of the Alaska Department of Revenue made the announcement.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Criminal Investigations Unit of the State of Alaska Department of Revenue. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney is prosecuting.
Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of PFD fraud is encouraged to contact the Alaska Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigations Unit or file an online tip at https://pfd.alaska.gov/fraud-tip-form or call (907) 500-0360.
