United States federal authorities have arrested Adetunji Abudu and ordered him detained pending trial on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The 34 year old resident of Lagos, Nigeria, was taken into custody at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, while attempting to return to the United States from Istanbul. The arrest was publicly announced around 26 October 2026. He appeared in court and received a detention order on or about 21 October 2026 in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the FBI Boston division, Abudu is one of six defendants named in a superseding indictment. The charges relate to the alleged laundering of millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes operated from Nigeria. These schemes primarily targeted elderly residents of the United States and included online romance scams, fraudulent sweepstakes offers, fake rental listings and sham shipping transactions.
Proceeds from the alleged schemes were channelled through bank accounts and businesses in Rhode Island, Idaho and other locations, with substantial sums ultimately sent to Nigeria. Members of the alleged conspiracy also used illicit funds to purchase vehicles that were shipped overseas.
Abudu had fled the United States for Nigeria in 2019 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation carried out a search of his residence in North Providence, Rhode Island, which had been authorised by a court. Five of his fellow defendants, identified as Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintola, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba and Oladipupo Shodipo, have already pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy. They received sentences ranging from time served to 42 months imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams and was investigated by the FBI Boston division, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service and police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho.
Officials emphasise that an indictment constitutes an accusation only, and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
By John James
- EFCC Arrests 21 Suspected Cybercrime Fraudsters in Lekki Sting Operation
- US Embassy Abuja Issues Health Alert as Nigeria Restarts Ebola Screening at Ports of Entry
- Akinade Adedeji Raheem Extradited from Benin to Face US Charges in Alleged $100 Million Tax Refund Fraud
- Voting Under Way in Israel as High Turnout Marks First Election Since October Attacks
- Adetunji Abudu Arrested at Boston Airport and Ordered Detained on Money Laundering Conspiracy Charges
