NIGERIAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN US FOR $7.5M CHARITY FRAUD

A Nigerian national, Olusegun Samson Adejorin, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison in the United States after being convicted of defrauding two charitable organisations of more than $7.5 million.

Adejorin, 32, was found guilty by a federal jury in Maryland of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and unauthorised access to a protected computer. He was previously extradited from Ghana to the United States to face the charges.

According to the US Department of Justice, Adejorin targeted two charities, one based in Maryland and another in New York, between June and August 2020.

Prosecutors said he gained unauthorised access to employees’ email accounts and impersonated members of staff in order to manipulate financial transactions and divert money belonging to the organisations.

Adejorin allegedly created spoofed domain names designed to resemble the email addresses of employees of one of the charities. He then used the fake identities to make withdrawal requests from the other organisation.

The fraudster reportedly accessed email accounts to falsely confirm the transactions, allowing more than $7.5 million belonging to the charities to be transferred into accounts that had no connection with the organisations.

The scheme involved sophisticated manipulation of electronic communications and financial procedures, enabling Adejorin and his associates to bypass safeguards put in place by the charities.

Following an investigation by US authorities, Adejorin was arrested and eventually extradited from Ghana to face trial in the United States.

A federal jury convicted him after a six-day trial, with prosecutors presenting evidence linking him to the fraudulent transactions and unauthorised access to protected computer systems.

The case highlights the growing use of business email compromise and other cyber-enabled fraud schemes to target organisations and individuals across international borders.

US authorities have continued to warn organisations about the risks posed by criminals who impersonate employees, compromise email accounts and manipulate financial instructions to divert funds.

The Department of Justice said the investigation involved the FBI Baltimore Field Office, which worked with prosecutors to establish how the scheme was carried out and trace the movement of the stolen funds.

Adejorin's conviction also demonstrates the willingness of US law enforcement agencies to pursue international suspects involved in cyber-enabled financial crimes, even when those suspects operate from outside the country.

The sentencing brings the case to a close after several years of investigation and legal proceedings.

The US authorities have maintained that such cases send a strong warning to individuals involved in cybercrime that sophisticated financial fraud can be traced and prosecuted regardless of where the perpetrators are located.

Adejorin will now serve his eight-year federal prison sentence in the United States for his role in the multimillion-dollar scheme.

The case adds to a growing number of Nigerian nationals who have faced prosecution and imprisonment in the US over cybercrime, fraud and money-laundering offences.