The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced the arrest of Nigerian national Rotimi Oladimeji, a convicted fraudster linked to a $1.2 million romance scam that devastated a St. Louis woman.
ICE confirmed the arrest in New Orleans on Monday, September 8, through its official X (formerly Twitter) account, describing Oladimeji as a “criminal alien” with a record of mail and wire fraud.
The agency also noted that he had been ordered to pay over $1.1 million in restitution to his victim.
Oladimeji’s troubles began in December 2023, when U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced him to three years in prison.
Prosecutors said he worked with co-conspirators in Nigeria and the U.S. to trick the victim, who believed she was in a romantic relationship with a veterinarian in St. Louis.
The elaborate scam began on an online dating platform. Conspirators manipulated the victim for years, making repeated demands for large sums of money.
At one point, they falsely claimed the supposed veterinarian was stranded in Dubai and needed financial assistance to return.
Court documents revealed that the victim sent nearly $1.17 million through cash and cashier’s checks.
The funds were routed through accomplices in Texas, including Olumide Akrinmade and Adewale Adesanya, both of whom were also convicted.
Akrinmade received a 15-month prison sentence and was ordered to repay $46,500.
Adesanya received a four-year sentence and was ordered to repay $1.5 million tied to romance fraud and a business email compromise scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Oladimeji personally pocketed 20% of the money he helped extract from the victim.
The rest was split among other fraudsters and transferred overseas to Nigeria.
Oladimeji pleaded guilty in December 2022 to two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit both offenses.
At the time, U.S. authorities warned that he faced likely deportation to Nigeria after serving his sentence.
What remains unclear is how Oladimeji was free at the time of his latest arrest.
ICE has not confirmed whether he had completed his three-year prison term or if the arrest was tied to immigration violations following his conviction.
The case once again highlights the growing international reach of Nigerian romance fraud networks, which U.S. authorities say often target lonely, elderly, or vulnerable individuals.
Investigators stress that these scams not only cause financial ruin but also inflict deep emotional damage on victims.
With Oladimeji now back in ICE custody, attention shifts to whether he will face deportation proceedings or additional penalties linked to his earlier crimes.
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