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, 33, from Lagos, Nigeria, operated various scams from Nigeria, including phishing and romance scams as well as fraudulent tax return submissions. These activities involved spoofed email addresses, fictional social media personas, and unwitting money mules.
Adepoju's operations affected numerous individuals and companies across the United States, including those in the Chicago area. He was arrested last year in the United Kingdom and subsequently extradited to the United States. In March, he pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly sentenced him to 43 months in prison.
The sentencing 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 FBI's Chicago Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie E. Ursini noted in the government’s sentencing memorandum that "Defendant’s offense involved a years-long, complex scheme involving several types of scams and many victims.” She added that “Defendant chose to be a willing participant in the scheme over and over again.”
