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 An African immigrant who was a Soros fellow has fled the country after his wife was arrested and charged with welfare fraud, according to media reports.
Fidelis Agbapuruonwu, who received a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans to study law, “fled the country and is somewhere in Africa,†court officials told NBC News 4.
Agbapuruonwu’s wife, Helen, was arraigned March 8 on charges of felony welfare fraud. Court documents state she “fraudulently obtained public assistance in excess of $100,000 under false pretenses†between 2010 and 2016.
During those years, according to court documents, Agbapuruonwu earned about $1.5 million a year.
According to Agbapuruonwu’s LinkedIn page, he was an associate at the Washington, D.C., offices of Mayer Brown LLP, a top-tier, international law firm, NBC 4 reports. The Daily Caller reported that Agbapuruonwu left the firm in 2011.
Agbapuruonwu emigrated from Nigeria in the 1990s, and was awarded his Soros Fellowship in 2001 to fund law school at Ohio State University. The fellowships are funded by Paul Soros, the older brother of Democratic donor George Soros.
Police claim Helen Agbapuruonwu forged documents to illegally obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Medicaid for herself and four children.