Nigerian man extradited from U.K., sentenced for alleged scheme to steal millions from an NC university

CHARLOTTE ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — A man with dual citizenship in Nigeria and the United Kingdom has been sentenced in connection with a multimillion-dollar business email compromise scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney districts in western North Carolina and southern Texas.

Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo, 45, and two others are accused of stealing more than $1.9 million from a North Carolina university and trying to steal more than $3 million from organizations in Texas.

In Aug. 2022, Adeagbo, who also went by John Edwards and John Dayo, was extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. In April 2024, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On Tuesday, Adeagbo was sentenced to seven years in prison for both cases.

North Carolina

Adeagbo and others, including Donald Ikenna Echeazu who is also a dual citizen of Nigeria and the U.K., allegedly worked to defraud an N.C. university of more than $1.9 million through “business email compromise” between Aug. 2016, and Jan. 2017.

According to court records, the group heard about construction projects including one at the university. They then created a domain name similar to the construction company working on the campus and an email similar to one used by a construction employee for that company.

Using the fake email, the group is accused of deceiving the university into sending the money to them. They then laundered the money through several transactions.

Texas

Adeagbo and others are also accused of trying to steal more than $3 million in Texas from local governments, construction companies, and a college in the Houston area between Nov. 2016 and July 2018.

Similar to North Carolina, the group created domain names that looked like legitimate companies and sent emails pretending to be employees or clients of those businesses, according to court documents.

Adeagbo is in custody awaiting transfer to a prison. He will be under supervision for a year after his eventual release from prison and is ordered to pay $942,655.03 in restitution.

Echeazu was sentenced to 18 months on May 16, 2023, which was followed by a year of supervision. He was also ordered to pay $655,408.87 in restitution.

“Oludayo Adeagbo thought he was pretty slick stealing other people’s money via this scam. His victims, however, strongly disagreed,” said Executive Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI. “Instead of enjoying the fruits of his illegal labors, Adeagbo will now be spending time in a federal prison.”

Numerous law enforcement and justice organizations in North Carolina, Texas, and the United Kingdom were crucial in this case resulting in a conviction.

BEC schemes can vary; however, they generally involve gaining access to legitimate email addresses or creating emails similar to valid ones to deceive individuals or businesses to send money. The funds are then quickly moved to accounts outside of the U.S.

If you believe you are a victim of a BEC scheme, you can file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Complaint Crime Complaint Center at bec.ic3.gov .

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