The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has extradited a Nigerian, Abiola Kayode, to the United States over his alleged indictment for $6 million fraud.
The 37-year-old was extradited from Ghana to the District of Nebraska to answer the charges.
The US Attorney, Susan Lehr, said in a statement by her office on Thursday that Kayode who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, allegedly participated in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme from January 2015 to September 2016.
The suspect and his accomplices allegedly defrauded businesses in the District of Nebraska and elsewhere of more than $6 million.
The prosecutors filed the case in August 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska.
In the court document, the prosecutors said Kayode’s co-conspirators posed as the chief executive officer, president, owner, or other executive of the targeted company.
Some of Kayode’s co-conspirators including Adewale Aniyeloye, Pelumi Fawehinimi, Onome Ijomone, and Alex Ogunshakin have been convicted and sentenced to jail terms.
The statement read: “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.
These individuals used spoofed email accounts to make it appear as though they were from the company’s true business executives and directed business employees or recipients of the email to complete wire transfers.
“The business employees, believing the requests were legitimate, complied with the wire transfer requests and wired the money as instructed by Kayode’s co-conspirators.”