U.S – A 34-year-old Nigerian national who fled the United States in 2019 has been apprehended at a U.S. airport for his alleged role in a multi-million dollar fraud and money laundering network targeting elderly Americans.
Adetunji Abudu, originally from Lagos, was arrested by federal authorities at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, as he attempted to re-enter the country on a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, according to a statement released Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.
Abudu is one of six defendants named in a superseding indictment charging the group with operating widespread scams—including online romance fraud, fake sweepstakes, sham rental listings, and fraudulent shipping transactions—directed primarily at elderly victims across the United States.
Federal prosecutors allege that proceeds from the fraud were funneled through bank accounts and shell entities in Rhode Island, Idaho, and other states. Significant portions of the illicit funds were wired directly to Nigeria, while other proceeds were used to purchase vehicles that were subsequently shipped overseas.
Abudu originally fled the U.S. to Nigeria in 2019 shortly after the FBI executed a court-authorized search warrant at his former residence in North Providence, Rhode Island.
His five co-defendants—Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintol, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba, and Oladipup Shodipu—have all since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. They received federal prison sentences ranging from time served to 42 months.
The investigation was led by the FBI, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and local police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho. Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reiterated that an indictment is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
