Nigerian man charged after allegedly stealing over $235K from Pa. university

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WKBN) – A Nigerian citizen residing in the United Kingdom has been arrested pursuant to a United States request for extradition following his indictment on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud, according to Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.

He was arrested on Sept. 15 and is currently awaiting extradition.

According to the indictment, between March 2023 and April 2023, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju remotely accessed a protected computer belonging to a western Pennsylvania construction company that was performing work for a university in the same region.

Posing as an employee, Adepoju allegedly sent emails to other employees directing them to send funds to a fraudulent bank account he created.

The university sent $235,266.80 to Adepoju’s fraudulent account, a news release state.

“Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimize one of our region’s universities,” said Rivetti. “Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His arrest in the United Kingdom underscores our district’s unwavering commitment to aggressively locate and prosecute cybercriminals worldwide with the assistance of our law enforcement partners—both here and abroad.”

Adepoju is charged with six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud offenses and up to five years in prison for the computer fraud offense.

“Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “We will find you and bring you to justice, no matter where you might be. Email compromise schemes are not victimless crimes; they are one of the costliest threats large and small businesses, universities, and organizations face today.”

Assistant United States Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States, with assistance provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.

The FBI’s Pittsburgh field office conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.