A 33-year-old Nigerian man, Edikan Adiakpan, has been arrested in Houston, Texas, for allegedly orchestrating a large-scale business email compromise and money laundering scheme that spanned across multiple U.S. states.
The U.S. Department of Justice, in a statement issued Thursday, June 26, 2025, announced Adiakpan’s indictment on three federal charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to transmit illegal funds.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray, Adiakpan was accused of leading a ring that tricked victims—including a California-based medical research organization for U.S. veterans—into wiring funds to fraudulent accounts by using spoofed emails that mimicked legitimate vendors.
Federal prosecutors say that in 2021, the group targeted firms in at least eight states, intercepting millions through deceptive email tactics. Once payments were secured, the funds were reportedly shuffled between various accounts before being converted to cashier’s checks. Adiakpan allegedly cashed these checks and retained a cut as his “commission.”
Authorities linked another Nigerian national, Ayobami Omoniyi, 26, to the same fraud network. He has already pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
If convicted, Adiakpan could face up to 20 years in prison for the fraud and laundering charges, plus an additional five years for illegal money transmission. He may also be fined up to $250,000 per count.
The case is being handled by FBI Houston, its Bryan Resident Agency, and IRS Criminal Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Christine Lu leading the prosecution.
