Nigerian Extradited To US Over Alleged Fraud, Three Others Sentenced

A Nigerian national, Adedunmola Gbadegesin, 33, was on Tuesday, extradited to the United States, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering, stemming from the financial exploitation.

Nigerian Extradited To US Over Alleged Fraud, Three Others Sentenced

The fraud case was investigated by the department of FBI and was assisted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Nigerian Attorney General’s office.

The defendant is facing 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000 – he has his first appearance in Court on May 2, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.

According to an indictment by FBI Special Agent, Louisville Field Office, Gbadegesin, 33, a resident of Lagos, alongside two others, Olatunbosun Oluwakayode Ajayi, 34, of Atlanta Georgia, and Otunuya Ineh Eqwem Livingstone, 45, of Houston Texas, were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Ineh Eqwem, Ajayi, and Ismaila Fafunmi, all residents of USA were hired by Gbadegesin to receive funds from victims and to launder those funds, so the funds could be returned back to Gbadegesin in Nigeria.

Fafunmi, Ineh Eqwem and Ajayi pleaded guilty to their role in August 2021 and were sentenced to 51 months, 24 months and 12 months, in prison respectively.

Gbadegesin was also arrested by Nigerian authorities on September 22, 2021, in Lagos, at the request of the United States and was transferred into U.S. custody on Tuesday.

Gbadegesin and his co-conspirators, according to an indictment seen by DAILY POST, collaborated to create fake online dating profiles, to post to online dating websites and would engage in online chats, emails, and telephone calls with unwitting victims, who were located in the United States, including one in Lexington.

The indictment alleged further that they would convince the victims to send money to the non-existent romantic partners or give them access to their financial accounts, so the co-conspirators could initiate money transfers themselves.