Abiola Kayode, a 37-year-old Nigerian national listed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, has been extradited from Ghana to face charges in the United States. The announcement was made in a statement by United States Attorney Susan Lehr of the District of Nebraska.

Kayode was arrested in April 2023 in Ghana at the request of U.S. law enforcement following an indictment filed in August 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska. He is accused of participating in an elaborate business email compromise (BEC) scheme that allegedly defrauded businesses of over $6 million between January 2015 and September 2016.

According to the indictment, Kayode and his accomplices impersonated high-ranking executives of various companies by using spoofed email accounts. They deceived employees into executing unauthorized wire transfers, with the funds funneled into bank accounts controlled by Kayode, which were often linked to victims of romance scams.

Kayode made his initial court appearance on December 11, 2024, during which United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered him to remain detained pending trial. This case indicates a continued effort by U.S. authorities to dismantle the network involved in these scams.

Several co-conspirators have already faced justice: Adewale Aniyeloye, who sent fraudulent emails, was sentenced to 96 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution; Pelumi Fawehinimi, who facilitated bank accounts for the fraud, received a 72-month sentence; Onome Ijomone, involved in romance scams, was given a 60-month sentence following his extradition from Poland; and Alex Ogunshakin, another key figure in the scheme, was sentenced to 45 months after being extradited from Nigeria earlier this year.

FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel stated the agency’s ongoing commitment to capturing the remaining fugitives involved in this operation, saying, “Our message to the remaining four co-conspirators: we are coming for you.” He emphasized the collaborative international efforts and thanked Ghanaian authorities for their assistance in Kayode’s extradition.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with significant help from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs. It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.