A Nigerian residing in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested by British authorities at the request of the United States government after being indicted on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Adepoju hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania-based construction company contracted by a university, created spoofed accounts, and used them to impersonate staff in order to divert payments.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), in a statement on Thursday, confirmed that Adepoju was arrested on September 15, 2025, and is now awaiting extradition to face a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The unsealed indictment alleges that between March and April 2023, Adepoju remotely accessed a protected computer belonging to the construction company, altered email rules, and set up a fake domain. He then allegedly sent fraudulent payment instructions that prompted the university to update the firm’s bank details, ultimately transferring $235,266 into an account he controlled. The stolen funds have not been recovered.
Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti condemned the crime, stressing that cybercriminals, regardless of location, would be pursued.
“Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimise one of our region’s universities. Even from halfway across the world, he was not beyond the investigative reach of the FBI,” Rivetti said.
Similarly, FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, Kevin Rojek, warned cybercriminals that U.S. authorities remain vigilant.
“Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need to know one thing: the FBI and our partners will find you and bring you to justice,” he said.
Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud. Each wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the computer fraud count carries up to five years.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office led the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark V. Gurzo prosecuting the case alongside the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
Authorities emphasized that an indictment remains an accusation, and Adepoju is presumed innocent until proven guilty.