A Nigerian national, Olusegun Samson Adejorin, is now confronting federal charges in the United States for his alleged involvement in a $7.5 million business email compromise scheme targeting two charitable organizations.
Mr Adejorin was apprehended in Ghana on December 29, 2023, and awaits his initial court appearance in the West African nation.
The charges, outlined in an unsealed eight-count indictment in Maryland, claim that Adejorin executed the scheme between June and August 2020.
During this period, he purportedly gained unauthorized access to employee email accounts at two charities, one located in Maryland and the other in New York.
Posing as authorized personnel, Adejorin allegedly deceived the institutions into transferring over $7.5 million from the New York charity's investment funds held by the Maryland organization.
The indictment details a sophisticated operation, involving the use of a credential harvesting tool to steal login information, the creation of fake domain names to obscure his tracks, and the manipulation of email accounts to conceal his activity.
If convicted, Adejorin could face a maximum sentence of 20 years per count of wire fraud, an additional five years for unauthorized computer access, and mandatory two-year sentences for aggravated identity theft. The potential penalty might increase further for domain name misuse.
While an indictment is not a declaration of guilt, the U.S. Attorney's Office emphasized the gravity of the charges and the intricate nature of the alleged crime. In a press release, United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, Baltimore Field Office, for their work in the investigation.
He expressed gratitude to the FBI Legal Attaché in Accra, the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), the Office of Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, and the Ghana Immigration Service for their valuable assistance in the case.
