33-Year-Old Nigerian Man Arrested in U.S. Over Multimillion-Dollar Email Scam and Money Laundering Scheme
A 33-year-old Nigerian man, Edikan Adiakpan, has been arrested in the United States for allegedly orchestrating a large-scale business email compromise (BEC) and money laundering scheme that defrauded multiple organizations across eight U.S. states.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed the arrest on Thursday, revealing that one of the victims was a California-based medical research group focused on developing treatments for U.S. military veterans.
Adiakpan’s arrest was formally announced by Nicholas J. Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance before Magistrate Judge Peter Bray in Houston.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Adiakpan on June 11, 2025, charging him with:
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Operating an unlicensed money transmission business
According to the DOJ, Adiakpan and his co-conspirators launched the BEC scheme in 2021, using spoofed email addresses to impersonate legitimate vendors. The fraudulent emails tricked companies into redirecting payments to bank accounts under the fraudsters’ control.
“They were allegedly tricked into sending payments to bank accounts the fraudsters controlled instead of the actual suppliers,” the DOJ stated.
The indictment also alleges that the conspirators laundered the stolen funds by rapidly transferring money between multiple bank accounts, converting the proceeds into cashier’s checks, which Adiakpan allegedly cashed in exchange for a fee.
Another Nigerian national, 26-year-old Ayobami Omoniyi, has also been charged in connection with the same criminal enterprise. He is currently awaiting sentencing before U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen.
If convicted, Adiakpan faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud and money laundering charges, and up to five years for operating an unlicensed money transmission business. Each charge carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The case underscores the ongoing crackdown on transnational cybercrime rings that target U.S. institutions and businesses through sophisticated online fraud.
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