The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has revealed how a Nigerian man, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, allegedly defrauded a US university of $235,000 (N363 million) using fake emails while living in the United Kingdom.
Prosecutors said Adepoju hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania-based construction company working for the university, created spoofed accounts to impersonate company staff, and diverted payments meant for the firm.
According to the DOJ, Adepoju was arrested in the UK on September 15, 2025, and is awaiting extradition to face a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Court documents allege that between March and April 2023, Adepoju remotely accessed the company’s computer system, altered email rules, and registered a fake domain to send fraudulent payment instructions. Believing the messages were genuine, the university updated its payment details and transferred about $235,266 to Adepoju’s account.
Acting US Attorney Troy Rivetti said the stolen funds have not been recovered.
Rivetti stated, “Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimise one of our region’s universities. 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.”
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek warned that criminals who target American institutions will be caught regardless of location.
“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. 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 organisations face today,” Rojek said.
Adepoju is facing six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud. Each wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, while the computer fraud charge carries up to five years.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office led the investigation, with Assistant US Attorney Mark V. Gurzo prosecuting the case and support from the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs.
Authorities stressed that an indictment is only an allegation and Adepoju is presumed innocent until proven guilty.