A Nigerian national residing in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested by British authorities at the request of the United States, where he is facing serious cybercrime charges.
According to a statement from Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti, Adepoju was taken into custody on September 15 and is currently awaiting extradition to the United States.
He is accused of orchestrating a complex wire fraud and computer hacking scheme targeting a construction company based in Western Pennsylvania.
A federal indictment, unsealed this week, alleges that between March and April 2023, Adepoju illegally accessed the company’s computer systems while it was working on a project for a Pennsylvania university.
He is accused of altering internal email rules and creating a fake email account to impersonate a company representative. Authorities say Adepoju then tricked the university into transferring approximately $235,266.80 into a fraudulent bank account. The funds have not yet been recovered.
“Mr. Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber tactics to infiltrate a U.S. business and defraud a university in our region,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti. “But no matter where criminals operate from, they are not beyond the investigative reach of the FBI.”
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek echoed that message, warning cybercriminals worldwide: “Anyone who believes they can exploit U.S. systems from abroad should take note — the FBI and our partners will pursue you relentlessly.”
Adepoju faces a total of seven federal charges: six counts of wire fraud, each carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and one count of computer fraud, which could lead to an additional five-year sentence.
