Nigerian Man Extradited To The U.S Over $3.5m Wire Fr@Ud

A wire fr@ud suspect, Fatade Idowu Olamilekan on wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, was on Thursday July 14, 2022, extradited to the United States for allegedly $te@ling over Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars ($3.5M) worth of equipment in various cities across the US.

According to a statement by the Department of Justice, US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York on Friday adding that his repatriation was in connection with “fr@udulently obtain and attempt to obtain millions of dollars of medical equipment, laboratory products, computer equipment and hardware, and other merchandise from suppliers of such merchandise across the United States by impersonating, among other individuals, procurement officials of U.S. state and local governments and educational institutions.”

Fatade’s extradition was coordinated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following a notice from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI New York, through the US Legal Attache for his role in impersonating various cities, state and academic institutions across the United States.

Fatade was indicted by a grand jury in the Southern District of New York for offences of wire fr@ud, interstate transportation of stolen property and identity th3ft.

It was reported that from at least in or about 2018 through at least on or about September 14, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic in 2019, Olamilekan impersonated the Chief Procurement Officer of New York State in an effort to fraudulently obtain medical equipment, including defibrillators.

The suspect was arreasted on September 30, 2021, by operatives of the EFCC and his extradition trial commenced sometimes in November, 2021 before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

On May 1, 2022, the Judge granted the request to extradite the suspect to the United States to answer to the crimin@l charges against him. Upon his arrival in the United States, the suspect is billed to appear before a United States District Court.