A 32-year-old Nigerian national, Olusegun Adejorin, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison in the United States for his role in a business email compromise scheme that diverted more than $7.5 million from two charitable organizations.
The United States Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, August 28, 2026.
US District Judge Theodore Chuang sentenced Adejorin to 96 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was convicted of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information.
A federal jury convicted him of all charges in December 2025 following a six-day trial.
According to evidence presented in court, Adejorin carried out the scheme between June and August 2020, targeting two charitable organizations—one based in Maryland and another in New York.
Prosecutors said Adejorin gained unauthorized access to employee email accounts and impersonated employees to induce the organizations to approve fraudulent financial transactions.
He also allegedly registered spoofed domain names designed to resemble legitimate email domains and used them to impersonate employees of the New York-based charity.
Using the fake identities, he requested withdrawals of funds belonging to the New York organisation from the Maryland charity, which provided investment services to other organizations.
Investigators said Adejorin also gained fraudulent access to email accounts belonging to the Maryland organisation and used them to send messages falsely confirming the withdrawal requests made in the name of the New York charity.
The scheme ultimately resulted in more than $7.5 million belonging to the New York organization being transferred to bank accounts that were not controlled by the intended recipient.
Adejorin was extradited from Ghana to the United States in August 2024 to face the federal charges.
The US Justice Department said the prosecution involved cooperation between American and Ghanaian authorities, including the FBI, Ghana's Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service, and other agencies.
US Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, commended investigators for their work in uncovering the scheme and securing Adejorin's extradition.
The case highlights the growing threat posed by business email compromise (BEC) scams, in which criminals impersonate trusted individuals or gain access to legitimate email accounts to manipulate organisations into transferring money.