Abiola Ayorinde Kayode, a 37-year-old Nigerian man, has been extradited from Ghana to the United States to face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a $6 million Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme.
Kayode, who had been on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, was arrested in Ghana in April 2023 and handed over to FBI agents before being flown to the U.S.
Kayode made his first appearance in court on December 11, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson, who ordered him to remain detained pending trial.
He is accused of playing a crucial role in the BEC scam, which took place between 2015 and 2016. The scam involved co-conspirators who impersonated business executives through spoofed emails to trick employees into transferring funds.
Kayode allegedly provided bank accounts that were used to funnel the stolen money. Additionally, victims of romance scams were reportedly used to launder money through their own accounts.
The fraud scheme, which targeted businesses across Nebraska and other U.S. states, resulted in significant financial losses.
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Several co-conspirators have already been convicted, with sentences ranging from 45 to 96 months in prison, while others are still at large.
FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel expressed his agency’s commitment to bringing all involved in the crime to justice, noting that Kayode’s extradition marks the second arrest in connection with this case.
He emphasized that dismantling cyber-criminal groups remains a top priority for the FBI, Department of Justice, and their international law enforcement partners.
The extradition was made possible through cooperation between U.S. authorities and Ghanaian law enforcement agencies, including the Ghana Police Service and the Ministry of Justice.