Joseph Oloyede: Biography, age, family, career, and details of US fraud

Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Nigeria, is a traditional ruler and a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States.

READ MORE: Joseph Oloyede: Osun Monarch jailed in U.S. Over $4.2m COVID-19 fraud

His life has been marked by a career in accounting and academia in the U.S. and a dramatic ascension to the throne, which was recently followed by his conviction for wire fraud in the United States.

Oba Joseph Oloyede Biography

Born on December 7, 1962, Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede is a native of Ipetumodu, a town in the Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State. He received his early education in Nigeria before pursuing higher education in the United States.

He holds a National Diploma in Accountancy from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, an MBA from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, and another MBA from the University of Sarasota, Florida.

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He also earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Argosy University, Sarasota.

Before becoming a monarch, Oloyede worked as a tax consultant and professor in the U.S. He taught at institutions like Indiana Wesleyan University and the University of Phoenix, where he rose to the rank of professor. His professional life in the U.S. was primarily based in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 2019, Oloyede was selected as the 27th traditional ruler of Ipetumodu, a position he inherited from the late Oba James Adedokun Adegoke.

His ascension was met with some legal challenges, but these were eventually resolved, and he was officially ratified by the Osun State Governor at the time.

Fraud charges and conviction

In April 2024, Oba Joseph Oloyede was indicted and arrested in the United States on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

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He was accused, along with a co-conspirator, of masterminding a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $4.2 million from federal COVID-19 relief programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).

According to U.S. court documents, Oloyede, who operated a tax preparation business, submitted dozens of fraudulent loan applications on behalf of his own businesses and those of his clients, using false information to secure the funds.

He then reportedly took a percentage of the loans as a fee, or kickback, without reporting this income on his tax returns. Investigators found that he used some of the ill-got funds to acquire a home and a luxury vehicle.

In April 2025, Oloyede pleaded guilty to the charges. On August 26, 2025, a U.S. District Judge sentenced him to 56 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution of over $4.4 million and to forfeit his home and other assets purchased with the fraud proceeds.

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Joseph Oloyede personal life

While Oloyede’s career and legal troubles are well-documented, details about his personal life, including his marital status and number of children, are private and have not been publicly disclosed in the context of reliable reporting.