SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A Utah woman was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment and three years of supervised release after she used her position to defraud her employer, a Utah based lending services business out of $1,398,014.

Benedicta Okunlola, 32, of Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty to wire fraud on November 18, 2025. In addition to her term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby ordered Okunlola to pay $1,398,014 in restitution, with a lump sum of $5,000 to be paid at or before sentencing.

According to court documents and admissions made at Okunlola's change of plea and sentencing hearings, between 2020 and 2025, Okunlola used her position as a Merchant Growth Specialist to issue 2,343 prepaid gift cards to herself, her online art business, and family members. In her role, she had access to her company's credit card for marketing promotions and incentives and was the only employee who purchased gift cards from an outside company to offer incentives to commercial customers. The gift cards Okunlola fraudulently purchased for herself and others were kept below the company's secondary approval thresholds to avoid detection. She spent the gift cards on rent, online shopping, groceries, rideshares, dining out, and trips to South Korea, Japan, South Africa, and Portugal. In total, Okunlola stole $1,398,014 from her employer over the course of four years.

"Okunlola stole from her employer to fund her jet-setting lifestyle," said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. "It is our hope that her sentence will serve as deterrent from others thinking about engaging in fraud. By teaming up with our law enforcement partners we will continue to investigate and prosecute these cases."

"Benedicta Okunlola's actions were not a mistake or a lapse in judgement. It was a deliberate scheme driven by greed," said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. "The defendant violated a position of trust and caused real financial harm to her employer. This FBI remains committed to investigating complex financial crimes and holding offenders accountable."

The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Luisa Gough of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

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