Animashaun Adebo, also known as “Kazeem” and “Kazeem Animashaun,” pleaded guilty on Apr. 20 in federal court in Brooklyn to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in a series of business email compromise (BEC) and related romance schemes that caused over $50 million in losses to individuals and small businesses across the United States.
The case highlights the significant financial impact that cyber-enabled fraud can have on victims nationwide. According to authorities, Adebo and his co-conspirators misappropriated funds from their victims, laundering the money through shell company accounts both domestically and internationally.
“The defendant and his network of criminal associates perpetrated sophisticated frauds targeting victims here in Brooklyn and throughout the country,” said United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. “Schemes like these cause enormous hardship and financial losses to victims every year. Our Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to prioritize prosecuting these online criminal actors and getting victims their hard-earned money back.”
Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge at the United States Secret Service New York Field Office, said: “The staggering number of monetary losses this defendant and his network of thieves inflicted on innocent, hardworking, and good people caused significant financial hardship and distress. Let this sentence send a message to other cyber-criminals out there: You won’t get away with your crimes forever. We will track you down. And there will be significant consequences for your criminal misdeeds.”
Between April 2021 and March 2022, Adebo participated in fraudulent BEC schemes by sending spoofed emails related to real estate transactions or purporting to be from legitimate vendors or business partners. These emails tricked recipients into wiring funds into accounts controlled by Adebo’s group. The proceeds were laundered through luxury watch purchases or an illegal money exchange operation run by co-defendant Idowu Ademoroti.
Other defendants include Nelson Ojeriakhi—arrested in Paris, extradited to the U.S., who pleaded guilty—and Noguan Marvellous Eboigbe, who remains at large.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau County, and Suffolk County as indicated on its official website. The office handles federal crime prosecutions as well as civil matters representation for the district according to its official website, maintains offices in Brooklyn and Central Islip per its official website, supports community outreach efforts according to its official site, operates as the designated federal prosecutor's office for the district according to its official website, with Breon Peace serving as United States Attorney as noted on its official website.
This case underscores ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to pursue those responsible for large-scale online financial crimes.
