A foreign national has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for cyber fraud schemes targeting U.S. citizens and businesses. Ridwan Adeleke Adepoju, along with co-schemers, operated various scams from Nigeria, including phishing scams, romance scams, and fraudulent tax return submissions. These operations involved spoofed email addresses, fictional social media personas, and unwitting money mules. Victims included individuals and companies in the Chicago area.
Adepoju, 33, was arrested last year in the United Kingdom and extradited to the United States. He pleaded guilty in March to charges of federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly sentenced him to 43 months in prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
“Defendant’s offense involved a years-long, complex scheme involving several types of scams and many victims,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie E. Ursini stated in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant chose to be a willing participant in the scheme over and over again.”
