The scheme involved spoofed emails that tricked organizations into wiring funds to fraudulent accounts.
A 33‑year‑old Nigerian national, Edikan Adiakpan, was arrested in the United States this week for his alleged role in a multimillion‑dollar business-email compromise and money-laundering scheme. He is charged in a three-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and operating an unlicensed money transmission business.
The indictment alleges that in 2021, Adiakpan and his co-conspirators sent spoofed emails impersonating legitimate vendors to a California-based medical research group developing treatments for U.S. military veterans, among other organizations across eight states.
“Victims received ‘spoofed’ emails … and were allegedly tricked into sending payments to bank accounts the fraudsters controlled.”
After diverting payments, the conspirators allegedly laundered the funds through multiple bank transfers, converting them into cashier’s checks. Adiakpan reportedly “cashed the checks and kept a percentage as a fee.”
He faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charges and up to five years for illegal money transmission, along with significant financial penalties.