By Abiola Olawale
A Nigerian national living in the United Kingdom (UK), identified as Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested and is facing extradition to the United States for allegedly hacking into a Pennsylvania university’s systems.
According to federal prosecutors,
Adepoju was also accused of allegedly siphoning more than $235,000 through sophisticated wire fraud tactics.
Adepoju, the 32-year-old suspect, was taken into custody by UK authorities on September 15, 2025, following a US extradition request, Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti announced Thursday.
According to the official indictment, Adepoju allegedly gained unauthorized access to a construction company’s computer network in western Pennsylvania sometime in early 2024.
Posing as a legitimate user, he reportedly used advanced phishing techniques and malware to infiltrate the system, then pivoted to the university’s financial accounts linked through vendor payments.
Over several months, he is accused of initiating fraudulent wire transfers totaling $235,400, routing the stolen funds through a series of mule accounts to obscure their origins.
Acting US Attorney Troy Rivetti said: “Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business to victimize one of our region’s universities.
“Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His arrest in the United Kingdom underscores our district’s unwavering commitment to aggressively locate and prosecute cybercriminals worldwide with the assistance of our law enforcement partners—both here and abroad.”
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, Kevin Rojek, added, “Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need to know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it.
“We will find you and bring you to justice, no matter where you might be. Email compromise schemes are not victimless crimes; they are one of the costliest threats large and small businesses, universities, and organizations face today.”
Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud.
Each wire fraud charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the computer fraud charge carries up to five years.
The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office led the investigation, while Assistant US Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is prosecuting the case with support from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
Authorities stressed that an indictment is only an accusation, and Adepoju is presumed innocent until proven guilty
