UK-Based Nigerian Faces Extradition to U.S. Over $235,000 University Fraud

Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, a Nigerian citizen residing in the United Kingdom, is awaiting extradition to the United States on charges of wire and computer fraud for allegedly swindling a university in western Pennsylvania out of more than $235,000.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), Adepoju was arrested by U.K. authorities on September 15 following a request from U.S. prosecutors after a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh returned a seven-count indictment against him. The charges include six counts of wire fraud and one count of unauthorized computer intrusion.

Investigators allege that between March and April 2023, Adepoju illegally accessed the computer system of a construction company contracted to work for a Pennsylvania university. Using that access, he reportedly altered email rules, registered a spoofed web domain, and created an email account impersonating a company employee.

From the fake account, prosecutors said, he sent instructions to staff at the university, requesting that the contractor’s payment details be updated to a new bank account under his control. The university subsequently transferred approximately $235,266 into the fraudulent account funds that remain unrecovered.

Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti praised the collaboration between the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office and law enforcement partners in the U.K., noting that cybercriminals “are not beyond the reach of U.S. investigators, even when operating across borders.”

Adepoju remains in British custody while extradition proceedings continue. If transferred to the United States, he will face trial in the Western District of Pennsylvania.