By Ebi Kesiena
A Nigerian national residing in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adepoju, has been arrested following a request from the United States, where he is wanted on allegations of wire fraud and computer fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti confirmed.
U.K. authorities arrested Adepoju on thursday, and he is now awaiting extradition to the Western District of Pennsylvania to answer a seven-count indictment.
Court documents allege that between March and April 2023, Adepoju infiltrated the computer system of a construction firm in Western Pennsylvania contracted by a university. He is accused of manipulating email rules, setting up a spoofed email account, and deceiving the institution into transferring $235,266.80 into a fraudulent account, the money has not been recovered.
“Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimize one of our region’s universities,” aid Acting United States Attorney Rivetti in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek added, “Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it.”
Adepoju has been charged with six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud, offences that carry potential prison terms of up to 20 years and five years respectively.
