Olusegun Samson Adejorin, a Nigerian national, is being prosecuted federally in the United States for allegedly committing a $7.5 million corporate email compromise scheme that was directed at two nonprofit organizations.
Adejorin is awaiting his first court appearance in Ghana after being detained there on December 29, 2023, according to the Daily Graphic. An eight-count indictment in Maryland that has not yet been sealed states that Adejorin was active from June to August of 2020. There are two nonprofits, one in Maryland and the other in New York, where he is said to have obtained access to employee email accounts.
Adejorin allegedly conned the institutions into sending more than $7.5 million from the New York charity’s investment funds that were kept by the Maryland organisation by pretending to be authorised officials.
A complex plan is described in the indictment, which includes the use of a credential harvesting tool to get login credentials, the construction of fictitious domain names to cover his activities, and the manipulation of email accounts.
Adejorin may get a mandatory two-year term for aggravating identity theft, a maximum penalty of 20 years for each count of wire fraud, and an extra five years for unauthorised computer access if found guilty. The misuse of a domain name may result in an even greater possible punishment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release that the significant accusations and specific claims paint a picture of a complicated and daring crime, even though an indictment does not indicate guilt.
The FBI was instrumental in capturing Adejorin and prosecuting him in Ghana, working with foreign partners. In addition to thanking the FBI Legal Attaché in Accra, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Office of Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, and the Ghana Immigration Service for their invaluable assistance in the case, United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, Baltimore Field Office, for its work in the investigation.
