A United States federal court has convicted Olusegun Adejorin, a 32-year-old Nigerian national, on multiple counts of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and unauthorised access to a protected computer.
Adejorin, who was extradited from Ghana to stand trial, was found guilty of orchestrating a sophisticated fraud scheme that targeted two US-based charitable organisations between June and August 2020.
According to prosecutors, the scheme involved a Maryland-based charity that provided investment services to other organisations, as well as a New York–based charitable organisation whose funds were fraudulently diverted. Adejorin allegedly gained unauthorised access to employee email accounts and impersonated staff members to initiate and approve fraudulent financial transactions.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said Adejorin registered spoofed domain names to mimic official email addresses of the New York–based charity. He then used the fake domains to request withdrawals of the organisation’s funds held by the Maryland charity.
Prosecutors further stated that Adejorin unlawfully accessed the Maryland charity’s email system and sent messages falsely confirming the withdrawal requests, making them appear legitimate.
As a result of the scheme, more than $7.5 million belonging to the New York–based charity was transferred to bank accounts not associated with the organisation.
Adejorin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of the five wire fraud counts, up to five years for unauthorised access to a protected computer, and a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. However, the US Attorney’s Office noted that actual sentences are often lower, as federal judges consider sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
US Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly Hayes, praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its role in the investigation. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 10, 2026, and will be delivered by US District Judge Theodore Chuang.