A 34-year-old Nigerian man, Adetunji Abudu, has been arrested at Boston Logan International Airport in the United States, six years after allegedly leaving the country for Nigeria while under investigation for his suspected involvement in a multimillion-dollar fraud and money laundering operation.
The US Department of Justice said Abudu, a native of Lagos, was arrested on the night of 26 October 2026 as he attempted to enter the United States from Istanbul, Turkey.
He is one of six people named in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Providence, Rhode Island, over an alleged fraud network accused of targeting elderly Americans through several online schemes.
According to the indictment, the operation involved romance scams, fake prize promotions, fraudulent rental listings and bogus online shipping transactions.
Investigators allege that money generated through the schemes was moved through bank accounts and businesses in Rhode Island, Idaho and other parts of the United States, with substantial sums eventually transferred to Nigeria.
The suspects are also accused of using proceeds from the alleged fraud to buy vehicles that were later shipped overseas.
The investigation involving Abudu dates back to 2019, when he reportedly left the United States for Nigeria after the FBI conducted a court-authorized search of his home in North Providence.
Authorities were investigating suspected fraud and money laundering linked to the wider network at the time of his departure.
Following his arrest, Abudu appeared before the US District Court in Rhode Island on 21 October 2026 and was ordered to remain in custody pending trial.
Five other defendants linked to the case have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. They are Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintola, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba and Oladipup Shodipupo.
The five defendants reportedly received prison sentences ranging from time already served to 42 months.
The FBI led the investigation, with support from the US Postal Inspection Service and police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho.
Assistant US Attorney John P. McAdams is handling the prosecution.
Abudu’s arrest marks a new development in the long-running investigation, bringing him back into the US judicial system to face the allegations against him.
However, the charges against him have not been proven in court. He remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
