International Cybercriminal Extradited to Face Charges in $7.5 Million Charity Fraud

by do son · September 3, 2024

Olusegun Samson Adejorin, a Nigerian national, has been extradited from Ghana to the United States. Adejorin faces a slew of federal charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorized access to a protected computer. The charges stem from an elaborate scheme that allegedly defrauded two charitable organizations of a staggering $7.5 million.

According to an eight-count indictment, between June and August 2020, Adejorin orchestrated an elaborate scheme to defraud two charitable organizations—one based in Maryland, identified as Victim 1, which provided investment services to other organizations, and the other based in New York, identified as Victim 2. Adejorin allegedly gained unauthorized access to employee email accounts at both organizations, using these compromised credentials to impersonate employees and initiate fraudulent financial transactions.

The indictment details how Adejorin, posing as an employee of Victim 2, requested withdrawals from Victim 2’s investment funds managed by Victim 1. The scheme exploited security protocols that required multiple approvals for large withdrawals, with Adejorin fraudulently obtaining the necessary credentials to meet these conditions. The funds, totaling more than $7.5 million, were then diverted to bank accounts not associated with Victim 2, effectively siphoning the money away from its intended charitable purposes.

If convicted, Adejorin could face severe penalties. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of wire fraud, five years for unauthorized access to a protected computer, and a mandatory two-year sentence for each of the two counts of aggravated identity theft. The potential penalties could be further increased due to the alleged use of falsely registered domain names.