The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List includes 37-year-old Nigerian Abiola Kayode, who was extradited from Ghana to the United States to face accusations.
United States Attorney Susan Lehr of the District of Nebraska made the announcement in a statement.
After being indicted in August 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska, Kayode was detained by US authorities in Ghana in April 2023.
Between January 2015 and September 2016, he allegedly took part in a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) operation that cheated companies out of more than $6 million.
The indictment claims that Kayode and his associates used fictitious email accounts to trick staff members into making illegal wire transfers by posing as senior executives of different businesses.
The money was subsequently transferred into bank accounts under Kayode’s control, which were frequently connected to romance scam victims.
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On December 11, 2024, Kayode appeared in court for the first time before United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson, who ruled that he must be held pending trial.
U.S. authorities are continuing their efforts to break up the network behind these scams with this case.
A number of co-conspirators have already been prosecuted: Onome Ijomone, who was involved in romance scams, was sentenced to 60 months after his extradition from Poland; Alex Ogunshakin, another important player in the scheme, was sentenced to 45 months after his extradition from Nigeria earlier this year; Adewale Aniyeloye, who sent fraudulent emails, was sentenced to 96 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution; and Pelumi Fawehinimi, who helped set up bank accounts for the fraud, received 72 months.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with significant assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
It should be noted that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
