US authorities have revealed that a Nigerian man based in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested for allegedly hacking into the systems of a Pennsylvania construction company working for a university, and fraudulently diverting more than $235,000.
According to the US Department of Justice, Adepoju allegedly infiltrated the company’s email system between March and April 2023, tampering with email rules, setting up a spoofed domain, and sending fake payment instructions to the university. Believing the messages were legitimate, the university updated its payment details and transferred $235,266 into a fraudulent account controlled by him. The stolen funds remain unrecovered.
The indictment, unsealed on Thursday in the Western District of Pennsylvania, charges Adepoju with six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud. He was arrested in the UK on September 15, 2025, following a US extradition request.
Acting US Attorney Troy Rivetti said Adepoju’s arrest shows cybercriminals cannot evade justice, no matter their location. He noted that the collaboration between the FBI and international law enforcement made the arrest possible.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, Kevin Rojek, also warned that business email compromise scams remain one of the most financially damaging forms of cybercrime. “We will find you and bring you to justice, no matter where you might be,” he said.
If convicted, Adepoju faces up to 20 years in prison on each wire fraud charge and five years on the computer fraud count. Prosecutors emphasized, however, that the indictment is only an allegation, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
