A 32-year-old Nigerian national, Olusegun Adejorin, has been convicted of defrauding two charitable organisations of more than $7.5 million and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

According to a DOJ press release cited by PUNCH Online on Saturday, Adejorin, who was extradited from Ghana, was found guilty of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorised access to a protected computer after a six-day trial in Maryland federal court.

The DOJ said Adejorin targeted a charity in Maryland and another in New York between June and August 2020.

He allegedly accessed employee email accounts, impersonated staff, and manipulated financial transactions to divert funds.

“After a six-day trial, a federal jury convicted Olusegun Samson Adejorin, 32, a Nigerian national, of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information. Adejorin was previously extradited from Ghana in connection with the case,” the statement said.

The department added that Adejorin registered spoofed domain names to pose as employees of one charity to request withdrawals from the other. He also accessed emails to falsely confirm the withdrawal requests, ultimately causing more than $7.5 million to be sent to accounts unrelated to the charities.

US Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, speaking with FBI Baltimore Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, commended the FBI for its investigative work and thanked Assistant US Attorneys Joshua Rosenthal and Darren S. Gardner, who prosecuted the case.

“Adejorin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of wire fraud, a maximum of five years for unauthorized access to a protected computer, and a mandatory two years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang scheduled sentencing for Friday, April 10, 2026,” the DOJ said.

The department noted that federal sentences often fall below maximum penalties, as judges consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide DOJ initiative focused on immigration enforcement, organised crime, and violent crime. (The PUNCH)

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