A 33-year-old Nigerian national, Edikan Adiakpan , has been arrested in the United States for his alleged role in a large-scale business ema...
A 33-year-old Nigerian national, Edikan Adiakpan, has been arrested in the United States for his alleged role in a large-scale business email compromise (BEC) and money laundering scheme that defrauded organizations across eight states, including a California-based medical research group focused on treating U.S. military veterans.
The arrest was announced in a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday.
According to the release, Adiakpan was named in a three-count federal indictment returned by a grand jury on June 11. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and operating an unlicensed money transmission business.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Nicholas J. Ganjei, confirmed that Adiakpan will make his initial court appearance before Magistrate Judge Peter Bray in Houston.
“The defendants allegedly tricked businesses into redirecting large payments into fraudulent accounts, then quickly laundered the funds through multiple financial institutions,” the DOJ stated.
The indictment revealed that the fraud was executed in 2021 through spoofed emails impersonating legitimate vendors, which misled targeted organizations into diverting payments into fraudster-controlled accounts.
The DOJ further disclosed that the co-conspirators laundered the stolen funds by rapidly transferring them across several accounts before converting the proceeds into cashier’s checks, which Adiakpan allegedly cashed in exchange for a percentage cut.
Another Nigerian, 26-year-old Ayobami Omoniyi, has also been charged in connection with the same scheme and is currently awaiting sentencing before U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen.
If convicted, Adiakpan faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the fraud and money laundering charges and up to five years for operating an illegal money transmission operation. Each offense also carries a potential fine of $250,000.
The investigation was spearheaded by the FBI’s Houston Field Office, its Bryan Resident Agency, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Christine Lu.
The DOJ emphasized its commitment to cracking down on international cybercrime networks that exploit U.S.-based businesses and public sector organizations.
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