The Federal Bureau of Investigation has placed a bounty of up to $10,000 on Olumide Adebiyi Adediran, a 57-year-old Nigerian accused of multiple financial crimes in the United States.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the FBI said the reward would be given for information leading to his arrest and conviction. Adediran is wanted for bank fraud, identification document fraud, credit card fraud, and for violating the conditions of his release.
Authorities say the case dates back to August 2001, when Adediran allegedly attempted to withdraw funds from a fraudulent check at a bank in Champaign, Illinois. He was later charged but fled the Central District of Illinois in December 2001, shortly before his trial was scheduled to begin.
“Adediran fled the Central District of Illinois at the end of December 2001, shortly before his trial… was set to begin,” the FBI confirmed, adding that a federal arrest warrant was issued on January 2, 2002, after he was charged with violating release conditions.
Investigators also allege that Adediran used stolen personal information from American citizens to open bank and credit accounts.
The case adds to a series of recent reports involving Nigerians facing fraud charges in the U.S. Just last month, Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar COVID-19 relief scheme.
