A Nigerian national residing in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested by British authorities and now faces extradition to the United States on multiple charges of wire fraud and computer fraud.
The arrest, carried out on September 15, 2025, followed a U.S. request after a federal grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania returned a seven-count indictment against him.
Court documents allege that between March and April 2023, Adepoju infiltrated the computer systems of a Western Pennsylvania construction firm contracted by a university. Investigators say he manipulated email settings, created a fake email account, and deceived the university into transferring $235,266.80 into a fraudulent bank account under his control. The stolen funds have not yet been recovered.
U.S. prosecutors described the scheme as a calculated cyberattack targeting both the construction company and the university it was working for. Officials emphasized that even though Adepoju was operating from abroad, he could not escape international investigative efforts.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which led the probe, stressed that cybercriminals attempting to exploit American institutions from overseas would be pursued relentlessly in collaboration with international partners.
Adepoju has been charged with six counts of wire fraud, each carrying a potential 20-year prison sentence, and one count of computer fraud, which carries a maximum of five years in prison. If convicted on all counts, he could face decades behind bars.
