On September 8, 2025, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested the 40-year-old Nigerian yahoo boy Rotimi Oladimeji in New Orleans, Louisiana following a 2022 arrest for helping facilitate a romance scam under the guise of a St. Louis-based veterinarian and animal behaviorist who wasn’t allowed to leave for Dubai unless the victim sent money to co-conspirators Olumide Akrinmade from Richardson, Texas and Adewale Adesanya, also from Texas.
Out of the nearly $1.17 million stolen from one victim, Oladimeji and his co-conspirators only received 20% while the remaining funds were laundered to Nigeria. The three were convicted and given the following sentences:
Oladimeji
- Pled guilty to 2 counts of mail fraud, 2 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
- Sentenced to 3 years prison and must pay $1.1 million in restitution.
- Ordered for deportation to Lagos, Nigeria.
Akrinmade:
- Pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.
- Sentenced to 15 months prison and ordered to repay $46,500
Adesanya:
- Sentenced to four years in prison
- Ordered to repay $1.5 million as a result of both romance fraud and a business email compromise scheme.
