By A Nigerian citizen, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been detained in the United Kingdom following a request by the United States to extradite him over allegations of wire fraud and computer fraud involving more than $235,000. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Adepoju was arrested by UK officials on September 15, 2025, and is awaiting extradition to face a seven-count indictment in Pennsylvania’s Western District.
Court documents allege that Adepoju employed sophisticated cyber methods to defraud a Pennsylvania university out of $235,266.80 between March and April 2023. He reportedly gained unauthorized access to the email system of a construction company involved in campus work, manipulated the email account settings, set up a fake domain, and impersonated a company employee to deceive university staff into redirecting payments to his fraudulent bank account. These illicit transfers have not yet been recovered.
Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti indicated that Adepoju exploited advanced digital tools to illegally access business accounts, thereby targeting a regional university.
The Pittsburgh FBI Field Office, leading the investigation, stated that business email compromise schemes remain among the costliest threats facing organizations.
Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud, each carrying up to 20 years in prison, plus one count of computer fraud, punishable by up to five years. The final sentencing will depend on federal guidelines and the defendant’s history. The prosecution is handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark V. Gurzo with assistance from the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs.
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