Nigerian Fraudster Rotimi Oladimeji Arrested in U.S. for Wire Fraud, ordered to pay over $1.1 million in restitution
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested Nigerian-born convicted fra¥dster, Rotimi Oladimeji, in New Orleans.
In a post on its verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, ICE described him as a “cr+minal alien” with a history of mail and wire fra¥d.
“Nigerian cr+minal alien Rotimi Oladimeji’s cr+minal history includes mail and wire fra¥d. He was ordered to pay $1.1M+ in restitution before ICE New Orleans arrested him,” the agency wrote.
In December 2023, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Oladimeji to three years in prison for helping other scammers defra¥d a St. Louis woman of nearly $1.2 million. He was also ordered to repay over $1.1 million.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Oladimeji, then 38 and based in Texas, assisted fra¥dsters in Nigeria and the U.S. to deceive the victim, who thought she was in an online romance with a St. Louis veterinarian.
“They made plans to meet with her but never followed through, once leaving her waiting at the Missouri Botanical Garden,” the Attorney’s Office revealed.
He directed the victim to send cash and checks through FedEx to the home of his co-defendant, Olumide Akrinmade, whom he had recruited alongside another Texas resident, Adewale Adesanya.
“In all, the victim lost nearly $1.17 million. Oladimeji received 20% of the funds he generated,” the office stated.
Both Akrinmade and Adesanya were also convicted, receiving 15 months and four years in prison respectively, along with restitution orders.
Authorities had earlier said Oladimeji, born in Lagos, could be deported after serving his term. But with ICE’s fresh announcement, it is unclear what became of his three-year jail sentence.
