A 34-year-old Nigerian national, Kolade Akinwale Ojelade, has pleaded guilty to charges related to a sophisticated real estate phishing and spoofing scheme.
Ojelade, who resides in Leicester, was involved in a fraudulent operation that targeted numerous victims by manipulating real estate transactions through deceptive email communications.
The suspect was indicted in February 2023 for defrauding prospective homeowners and others out of down payments using a “man-in-the-middle” email phishing and spoofing attack.
In a statement, Leigha Simonton, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, disclosed that the suspect was extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. in April 2024 and pleaded guilty on Wednesday, July 17, to wire fraud affecting a financial institution and aggravated identity theft.
Simonton said, “Unfortunately, sophisticated phishing and spoofing attacks can ensnare even the most tech-savvy among us. They can be disastrous for companies and absolutely calamitous for individuals. We look forward to holding this defendant accountable for the financial devastation he has wrought. In the meantime, I urge the public to follow CFPB’s best practices for wiring down payments.”
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough stated, “Mr. Ojelade orchestrated the theft of funds from unsuspecting homeowners and real estate companies who believed they were legitimately wiring money to a trusted party. The FBI successfully worked with our foreign partners to ensure he is held accountable by the U.S. judicial system.”
According to court documents, Mr. Ojelade sent phishing emails to real estate businesses, gained unauthorized access to many of their accounts, and monitored their email traffic to determine when large transactions were about to occur.
He then intercepted wire payment instructions, altered the information, and resent the emails via spoofed addresses that mimicked the original senders’ addresses.
Mr. Ojelade now faces up to 32 years in federal prison. After serving his sentence, he will be subject to deportation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation, with substantial assistance from FBI International Operations at Mission U.K., UK authorities, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Mr. Ojelade from the United Kingdom.
