United States Attorney Susan Lehr has announced the
extradition of 37-year-old Abiola Kayode from Ghana to the District of
Nebraska, where he faces charges related to an alleged $6 million cyber fraud
scheme.
This comes after a conspiracy to commit wire fraud
indictment was filed against him in August 2019.
A statement from the United States Attorney’s Office,
District of Nebraska, on Thursday, stated that Kayode was arrested in April
2023 by Ghanaian authorities.
The BEC scheme, which defrauded businesses in the District
of Nebraska and beyond of over $6 million, was filed as a case in Omaha,
Nebraska, in August 2019.
“In April 2023, law enforcement authorities in the Republic
of Ghana arrested Kayode pursuant to a U.S. request for his extradition.
Ghanaian authorities ultimately granted this request and surrendered Kayode to
FBI special agents who brought him to the District of Nebraska.
“Kayode had an initial appearance on the Indictment on
December 11, 2024. United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered
Kayode to remain detained pending trial.”
According to the indictment, Kayode’s co-conspirators posed
as the chief executive officer, president, owner, or other executive of the
targeted company.
Kayode’s co-conspirators allegedly used spoofed email
accounts to make it appear as though they were sent by the company’s true
business executives, directing employees or recipients to complete wire
transfers.
Authorities allege that Kayode supplied bank account details
used to funnel illicit funds, with many of these accounts belonging to victims
of internet romance scams who were coerced into transferring the stolen money.
Several of Kayode’s co-conspirators have already been
brought to justice, including Adewale Aniyeloye, sentenced to 96 months in
prison and $1.57 million in restitution in February 2019; Pelumi Fawehinimi,
who received a 72-month sentence and $1.01 million in March 2019; Onome
Ijomone, extradited from Poland and sentenced to 60 months with $508,934 in
restitution in January 2020; and Alex Ogunshakin, who was sentenced to 45
months in October 2024 after being extradited from Nigeria for providing bank
accounts used in the scheme.
“Four years ago, we identified six Nigerian nationals
suspected of defrauding individual victims and businesses in Nebraska and other
states of millions of dollars,” ” said FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene
Kowel.
“Today, Abiola Kayode is the second of those co-conspirators
to be extradited to stand trial in Nebraska. Our message to the remaining four
co-conspirators; we are coming for you. Dismantling cyber-criminal groups that
victimize U.S. citizens is a priority for the FBI, DOJ, and our international
law enforcement partners.
“The FBI, working together with our partners in Ghana,
particularly the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, the
Ghana Police Service – INTERPOL, and the Ghana Immigration Service, will
continue to pursue and bring to justice criminals who engage in Business Email
Compromise and other fraud schemes.”
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