A Nigerian national, Ridwan Adepoju, has been sentenced to 43 months in prison by a U.S. federal judge for orchestrating a sophisticated scheme to defraud American citizens and businesses in Chicago from Nigeria.

Ridwan Adepoju was arrested in the United Kingdom last year at the request of American officials and extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.

According to prosecutors, Ridwan Adepoju and his co-conspirators conducted various fraudulent schemes, including phishing scams, romance scams, and submitting fraudulent tax returns, targeting individuals and businesses in the Chicago area.

The FBI investigation revealed that the gang created spoofed email addresses and fictional social media personas to trick victims into sending significant amounts of money by posing as legitimate entities.

On June 17, 2025, Judge Matthew Kennelly of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois imposed a 43-month prison sentence on Adepoju. Upon completing his sentence, Adepoju faces potential deportation back to Nigeria.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie Ursini argued that Adepoju’s offense involved a complex, years-long scheme with multiple scams and many victims, noting that he willingly participated in the scheme repeatedly.

Source: gazettengr.com