$2m fraud: US-based Nigerian faces deportation after 20-year jail term

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The United States has ordered the deportation of a Nigerian, Oluwaseun Adekoya, upon completion of a 20-year prison sentence for his role in a $2m fraud scheme.

PUNCH Metro gathered from a statement published on the United States Department of Justice website on Wednesday that Adekoya was sentenced on Monday after being found guilty of bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft following a three-week trial.

The statement said Adekoya, who had obtained permanent resident status in the United States, orchestrated the scheme from his luxury apartment in New Jersey.

It added that evidence presented during the trial showed that he used publicly available information on people’s home equity lines of credit at various credit unions across the country, frequently changing locations to evade law enforcement.

“He then utilised encrypted messaging platforms, like Telegram, to obtain Social Security numbers, account numbers, mothers’ maiden names, and other personal identifying information for individuals he had identified as having substantial equity available in their home equity lines of credit.

“Adekoya then gave this information to a vast web of managers he recruited from all over the country, along with fake driver’s licenses for lower-level workers to impersonate the home equity line of credit customers and conduct withdrawal transactions on their accounts.

“To insulate himself from detection, Adekoya utilised a web of burner phones and encrypted messaging applications and laundered his substantial share of the proceeds through bank accounts in other people’s names,” the statement said.

It further revealed that Adekoya reinvested some of the illicit proceeds to expand the scheme by purchasing airline and bus tickets for co-conspirators, fake driver’s licences, and rental cars used to transport operatives to targeted credit unions.

According to the statement, investigations began in May 2022 after a federal credit union detected a series of impersonation transactions at one of its branches and alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI traced the activities to Adekoya, leading to his arrest in December 2023. Thirteen accomplices were also indicted and charged with various offences, all of whom pleaded guilty.

The statement continued, “Evidence at trial showed that when the Federal Bureau of Investigation attempted to enter the defendant’s luxury apartment on December 12, 2023, to execute a federal search warrant, Adekoya wiped the primary phone he had used to orchestrate the conspiracy.

“Nonetheless, the Federal Bureau of Investigation seized numerous burner phones used by Adekoya to perpetrate the charged crimes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also seized Rolex watches, a $51,000 Tiffany engagement ring, designer handbags and shoes, and approximately $26,000 in a bank account used by Adekoya to launder his proceeds. Those items and others have since been forfeited by the government.”

It added that the Nigerian, who became a permanent resident in 2024, had been running the scheme since he was 22 years old.

“In sentencing Adekoya, United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino noted that Adekoya is a perpetual thief and a flagrant serial offender who has orchestrated increasingly sophisticated felony identity-theft and fraud offences since he started his criminal career in 2008 at the age of 22.

“As part of Adekoya’s sentence, he will also be required to serve five years of supervised release and pay restitution of over $2.2 million and a mandatory special assessment of $1,100. He is also subject to removal from the United States upon completion of his term of imprisonment,” the statement added.

The statement further listed Adekoya’s co-conspirators, who were jailed at various times, including David Daniyan, Kani Bassie, Davon Hunter, Christian Quivers, Jermon Brooks, Akeem Balogun, Victor Barriera, Danielle Cappetti, Jerjuan Joyner, Gaysha Kennedy, Crystal Kurschner, and Sherry Ozmore.

Johnson, an avid reader, has over four years experience in journalism covering education, politics and Metro.

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