A Federal Court in the United States has found Olusegun Adejorin, a 32-year-old Nigerian, guilty of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and unauthorised access to a protected computer, following a sophisticated cyber fraud targeting two US-based charitable organisations.
Adejorin, who was extradited from Ghana to stand trial, was convicted for offences committed between June and August 2020, according to prosecutors.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said Adejorin orchestrated a scheme against a Maryland charity that provided investment services to other organisations. Through the same operation, he also defrauded a New York–based charity by unlawfully accessing staff email accounts and posing as employees to trigger fraudulent financial transactions.
Investigators told the court that Adejorin registered fake domain names resembling those of the New York charity and used them to send emails requesting withdrawals of the organisation’s funds, which were being managed by the Maryland-based charity.
He also illegally accessed the Maryland charity’s email system, using it to send messages that falsely confirmed the fraudulent withdrawal requests purportedly made on behalf of the New York organisation.
“He ultimately caused more than $7.5 million of Victim 2’s (New York-based charity) funds to be sent, pursuant to the fraudulent withdrawal requests, from Victim 1 (Maryland-based charity) to bank accounts that were not Victim 2’s (New York-based charity) bank accounts,” the statement reads.
On conviction, prosecutors said Adejorin could face up to 20 years in prison on each of the five wire fraud counts, up to five years for unauthorised access to a protected computer, and a mandatory two-year jail term for aggravated identity theft, to be served consecutively.
“Adejorin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of wire fraud, a maximum of five years for unauthorised access to a protected computer, and a mandatory two years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.”
However, the attorney’s office noted that sentences in federal cases are often lower than the statutory maximums, as judges rely on sentencing guidelines and other legal considerations.
Kelly Hayes, the US Attorney for the District of Maryland, praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for its role in uncovering and prosecuting the case.
Theodore Chuang, a US district judge, is scheduled to hand down Adejorin’s sentence on April 10, 2026.
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