Fargo - United States Attorney Christopher C. Myers announced that on March 4, 2019, United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade, Northern District of Iowa, sentenced Michael Adefemi Adeyemo, a/k/a/ Adekunle Olufemi Adetiloye, age 47, a citizen of Nigeria and living in Canada when extradited to the United States, to serve 10 years in prison, which is the statutory maximum for obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. 1503(b)(3).
Previously, in 2012, Adeyemo, received a sentence of 17 ½ years in the District of North Dakota for a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that was conducted from Canada involving more than 20 banks in the United States. At that time, it was the largest credit card fraud suffered by US Bank and the Discover Card Bank in the history of those institutions.
Years after that sentencing, it was discovered that Adeyemo had taken many steps to conceal from law enforcement and the court his prior residency in the United States as a legal permanent resident, that he was licensed as an attorney in Nigeria, and that he was a fugitive with an outstanding federal warrant in California from 2001 for a similar fraud scheme. Following trial, the trial jury found Adeyemo guilty of concealing this evidence to reduce his earlier sentence.
In sentencing Adeyemo to 10 years’ imprisonment, District Judge Linda R. Reade stated that Adeyemo showed a “callous disregard of the laws of the United States."
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has been and will always be relentless in the pursuit of facts throughout a criminal investigation," said Bill Hedrick, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes North Dakota. “Postal Inspectors know this and take great pride in their search to find the truth. Through the diligence of our Inspector and others in this case, we were able to bring the defendant to face justice for the full scope of his crimes," said Hedrick. “We appreciate the dedicated effort of all those involved in this case, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Forensic Lab, and agents from Homeland Security Investigations."
Assistant United States Attorney Nick Chase prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
