Abiola Ayorinde Kayode is on the American FBI’s Most Wanted List for a six-million-dollar fraud scam.
A 37-year-old Nigerian, Abiola Ayorinde Kayode, has been extradited to the United States over a conspiracy to commit wire fraud indictment, filed in August 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska.
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced Kayode’s extradition on Thursday, December 12. The US Attorney said Kayode, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, was arrested by law enforcement authorities in Ghana in April 2023 according to a US government request for his extradition.
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, often linked to romance scam victims.
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 faced justice: Adewale Aniyeloye 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 a sentence of 72 months; Onome Ijomone, who was involved in, was given 60 months following his extradition from Poland; and Alexshakin, another key figure in the scheme, was sentenced to 45 months after 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: “Our message to the remaining four co-conspirators; we are coming for you.” He highlighted the collaborative international effort and thanked Ghanaian authorities for their cooperation in Kayode’s extradition.
The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with considerable support 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.
