Firdaus Obiremi
A 34-year-old Nigerian, Adetunji Abudu, has been arrested at Boston Logan International Airport in the United States over an alleged multi-million-dollar money laundering conspiracy linked to fraud schemes targeting elderly Americans.
The arrest followed his return to the US from Istanbul, Turkey, after allegedly fleeing the country for Nigeria in 2019 while under investigation, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.
In a statement dated October 26, 2026, the office said Abudu was arrested on Monday night as he attempted to re-enter the country.
The defendant appeared before the US District Court in Rhode Island on October 21, 2026, and was ordered detained pending trial, the statement added.
Abudu, who is from Lagos, is one of six defendants named in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Providence over an alleged conspiracy to launder millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes operated from Nigeria.
According to the indictment, the alleged schemes targeted elderly Americans through online romance scams, fraudulent sweepstakes, fake rental advertisements and sham online shipping transactions.
The proceeds were allegedly channelled through bank accounts and businesses in Rhode Island, Idaho and other locations in the US before significant sums were transferred to Nigeria.
The indictment further alleged that members of the conspiracy used some of the proceeds to purchase vehicles, which were subsequently shipped overseas.
The US Attorney’s Office said Abudu left the country for Nigeria in 2019 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a court-authorised search of his residence in North Providence.
His return to the US has now brought him back into the criminal proceedings, where he faces allegations of involvement in the money laundering conspiracy.
Five other defendants identified in the case — Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintol, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba and Oladipup Shodipu — have pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and received prison sentences ranging from time served to 42 months.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney John P. McAdams.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the US Postal Inspection Service and police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho.
However, US authorities stressed that the allegations against Abudu have not been established in court.
“A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” the US Attorney’s Office said.
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