Abiola Kayode, a 37-year-old Nigerian national listed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, has been extradited from Ghana to face charges in the United States.
The announcement was made in a statement by United States Attorney Susan Lehr of the District of Nebraska.
Kayode was arrested in April 2023 in Ghana at the behest of US law enforcement following an indictment filed in August 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska.
He is accused of participating in a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme that allegedly defrauded businesses of over $6 million between January 2015 and September 2016.
According to the indictment, Kayode and his accomplices impersonated high-ranking executives of various companies, using spoofed email accounts to deceive employees into executing unauthorized wire transfers.
The funds were then funneled into bank accounts controlled by Kayode, which were often linked to victims of romance scams.
Kayode made his initial court appearance on December 11, 2024, before United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson, who ordered him to remain detained pending his trial.
This case marks a continuation of efforts by U.S. authorities to dismantle the network involved in these scams.
Several co-conspirators have already faced justice: Adewale Aniyeloye, who sent fraudulent emails, was sentenced to 96 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution; Pelumi Fawehinimi, who facilitated bank accounts for the fraud, received 72 months; Onome Ijomone, involved in romance scams, was given 60 months after his extradition from Poland; and Alex Ogunshakin, another key figure in the scheme, was sentenced to 45 months following his extradition from Nigeria earlier this year.
FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel stated the ongoing commitment to capturing the remaining fugitives involved in this operation, stating, “Our message to the remaining four co-conspirators; we are coming for you.” He highlighted the collaborative international effort, thanking Ghanaian authorities for their cooperation in Kayode’s extradition.
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.
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