A Nigerian, Afeez Adewale, appeared before the US federal court in Philadelphia on Tuesday after he was extradited from Nigeria for his involvement in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy that led to the death of a young American.
He was extradited from Nigeria last Friday by Federal Bureau of Investigation representatives in Nigeria, who had taken him into custody since August 2023.
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Mr Adewale is charged with the sexual extortion and death of a young US citizen in the eastern district of Pennsylvania, according to a statement by the US Department of Justice.
“Adewale is charged by indictment with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy,” the statement disclosed.
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The department also noted that Mr Adewale, who was arrested in Nigeria in August, is part of a wider operation with the FBI to apprehend sexual extortionists who target minors in the US.
Two members of his team had been extradited from Nigeria and sentenced in 2024. The department identified the two as Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” and Samuel Abiodun.
They were extradited to the US in August 2024.
Mr Abiodun pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud and was sentenced to five years in prison. While Mr Aina pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud, and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The US Justice Department also said the extradition, through the “support and assistance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), months after his arrest, was essential to this effort.”
It also said “Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department” provided support.
This is the latest case of a Nigerian extradited to the US for cyber fraud.
Nigeria’s first extradition treaty with the US was signed by the colonial government in 1931.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that in 2023, two Nigerians, Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi, were extradited to the US from Nigeria after they were indicted for sexually extorting numerous teenage boys in Michigan.
Another case was reported in 2019 involving 56-year-old Adedeji Adeniran, who was extradited to the Northern District of Florida.
One notable high-profile extradition from Nigeria to the US involved Fatade Olamilekan, who was extradited in July 2022 to face charges related to a $3.5 million fraud scheme.
Mr Olamilekan had been on the FBI’s wanted list for allegedly stealing over $3.5 million worth of equipment and had his extradition coordinated by the EFCC.
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