A 37-year-old Nigerian man, Abiola Kayode, has been extradited to the United States to face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a $6 million Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme. The indictment, filed in the District of Nebraska in 2019, accuses Kayode of collaborating with co-conspirators to defraud businesses and individuals through sophisticated online scams between 2015 and 2016.
Kayode, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, was apprehended in Ghana in April 2023. After months of legal processes, he was handed over to FBI special agents who transported him to the U.S. On December 11, 2024, Kayode made his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson, who ordered his detention pending trial.
Prosecutors allege that Kayode played a pivotal role in the fraud by providing bank accounts used to receive stolen funds. The scheme reportedly involved co-conspirators impersonating company executives using spoofed emails to deceive employees into wiring money. Additionally, victims of romance scams were allegedly exploited to launder the proceeds.
The FBI Omaha Field Office has been actively pursuing the case, with several co-conspirators already convicted and serving prison sentences ranging from 45 to 96 months. Commenting on the development, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel stated: “Four years ago, we identified six Nigerian nationals suspected of defrauding individual victims and businesses in Nebraska and other states of millions of dollars. Today, Abiola Kayode is the second of those co-conspirators to be extradited to stand trial in Nebraska. Our message to the remaining four co-conspirators: we are coming for you.”
Kowel commended the collaborative efforts of Ghana’s Attorney General’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Police Service – INTERPOL, and Immigration Service in apprehending Kayode. He reaffirmed the FBI’s commitment to dismantling cybercriminal networks, stating, “Dismantling cyber-criminal groups that victimize U.S. citizens is a priority for the FBI, DOJ, and our international law enforcement partners.”
Kayode’s trial is expected to shed more light on the extensive operations of the cybercriminal network and its impact on victims across the United States.