A Nigerian national has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison in the United States for orchestrating a sophisticated business email compromise scheme that defrauded two charitable organisations of more than $7.5 million.
Olusegun Adejorin, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang to 96 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was convicted of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorised access to a protected computer to obtain information.
The sentence was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Baltimore Field Office.
According to evidence presented at trial, Adejorin carried out the scheme between June and August 2020. He targeted a Maryland-based charitable organisation that provided investment services to other nonprofits and a New York-based charity whose funds were managed by the Maryland entity.
Prosecutors said Adejorin registered spoofed domain names resembling those of the New York organisation’s employees and used them to send fraudulent withdrawal requests. He also gained unauthorised access to email accounts belonging to staff of the Maryland organisation and used those accounts to falsely confirm the fraudulent requests.
As a result of the scheme, more than $7.5 million belonging to the New York charity was transferred from the Maryland organisation to bank accounts that did not belong to the intended recipient.
Adejorin was extradited from Ghana to the United States in August 2024 to face the charges. A federal jury found him guilty on all counts in December 2025 following a six-day trial.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes and FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul jointly announced the sentencing. Authorities credited the FBI Baltimore Field Office for the investigation and acknowledged significant assistance from Ghanaian agencies, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service – INTERPOL, and the National Intelligence Bureau.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by U.S. law enforcement to combat transnational cyber-enabled fraud targeting American organisations and individuals.