British authorities have arrested Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, a Nigerian living in the United Kingdom, following a request from the United States government. Adepoju has been indicted on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud and is now awaiting extradition to the U.S.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Adepoju allegedly hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania-based construction company working for a university. He then created fake accounts to impersonate staff and trick the university into diverting payments.
Court documents allege that between March and April 2023, Adepoju remotely accessed the company’s protected computer system, altered email rules, and set up a spoofed domain. Using this access, he sent fraudulent payment instructions, which led the university to update its records and transfer approximately $235,266 into an account controlled by him. The funds remain unrecovered.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement that Adepoju faces a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania, unsealed on September 19, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti stated:
“Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimize one of our region’s universities. Even from halfway across the world, he was not beyond the investigative reach of the FBI.”
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek added:
“Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need to know one thing: we will find you and bring you to justice.”
Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud—each carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison—and one count of computer fraud, punishable by up to five years.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark V. Gurzo with support from the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs.
Authorities emphasized that an indictment is only an accusation and Adepoju remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.
