A Nigerian man who fled the United States in 2019 to evade trial over alleged fraud has been arrested at an airport in Boston, Massachusetts, the US Department of Justice has said.
The suspect, identified as Adetunji Abudu, 34, was arrested on Monday night at Logan International Airport while attempting to re-enter the United States from Istanbul, Turkey.
According to the Department of Justice, Abudu fled to Nigeria in 2019 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a court-authorised search of his residence in North Providence, Rhode Island.
He is one of six defendants charged in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Providence over an alleged money-laundering conspiracy involving millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes operated from Nigeria.
The schemes allegedly targeted elderly residents of the United States through online romance scams, fraudulent sweepstakes, fake rental listings and sham online shipping transactions.
Prosecutors alleged that money obtained from victims was channelled through bank accounts and businesses in Rhode Island, Idaho and other locations, with significant proceeds eventually transferred to Nigeria.
The indictment also alleged that members of the conspiracy used proceeds from the schemes to purchase vehicles that were subsequently shipped overseas.
Following his arrest, Abudu appeared before the US District Court in Rhode Island on October 21, 2026, and was ordered detained pending trial.
Five of his alleged co-defendants — Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintola, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba and Oladipup Shodipupo — have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
They received prison sentences ranging from time served to 42 months, according to the Department of Justice.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the US Postal Inspection Service and police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney John P. McAdams.
The Department of Justice noted that an indictment constitutes an allegation and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven.
