Foreign News
United States Court Jails Nigerian Kingpin Adekoya 20 Years For Nationwide Bank Fraud, Money Laundering
Adekoya, a US lawful permanent resident since 2004, was found guilty earlier this year after a three-week federal jury trial, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
A 40-year-old United States-based Nigerian fraud kingpin, Oluwaseun Adekoya, the mastermind and ringleader of one of the most sophisticated nationwide bank-fraud and money-laundering conspiracies uncovered in recent years, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
Adekoya, a US lawful permanent resident since 2004, was found guilty earlier this year after a three-week federal jury trial, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of New York.
He was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft, offenses prosecutors say he executed with precision, coordination, and a complete disregard for the financial devastation inflicted on victims.
Adekoya, known by at least nine aliases including “Ace G.,” “BRODA,” “Legendary,” “Santa,” “Santana,” “Sammy LaBanco,” “Sean Maison,” and “Kiing_maison,” orchestrated an expansive fraud ring that targeted home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) at credit unions across the United States.
His sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albany Field Office.
According to prosecutors, Adekoya ran the enterprise from the comfort of his upscale apartment in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
Trial evidence showed that he spent years harvesting publicly available information about credit union customers with substantial HELOC balances.
He then purchased additional personal identifying information (PII), including Social Security numbers, account numbers, and mother’s maiden names, on encrypted platforms such as Telegram.
With this data, Adekoya exercised near-total control over a nationwide network of “managers” and street-level operatives who carried out in-person withdrawals by impersonating legitimate account holders.
He supplied his recruits with fake driver’s licenses matching the stolen identities and directed them to credit unions in multiple states where HELOC transactions could be exploited with minimum suspicion.
Investigators described the network as highly structured. Managers coordinated travel logistics for the lower-level operatives while Adekoya funded airline tickets, bus fares, rental cars, and other operational expenses.
He routinely shifted his targets geographically to stay ahead of law enforcement, exploiting financial institutions in different regions at different times.
To conceal his involvement, Adekoya relied extensively on “burner” phones, encrypted messaging apps, and bank accounts opened under other people’s names.
He laundered his share of the proceeds through these accounts before spending lavishly on luxury items, including Rolex watches, high-end jewelry, and designer goods.
Presiding U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino delivered a scathing assessment of Adekoya’s criminal history, calling him a “perpetual thief” and “flagrant serial offender” who has participated in sophisticated fraud and identity-theft schemes since 2008, when he was only 22 years old.
“For nearly two decades, Oluwaseun Adekoya abused the privilege of lawful permanent resident status to steal the identities of innocent Americans so he could live lavishly in our country, without an ounce of remorse,” Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone said in a statement.
“Now he gets to spend two decades in prison, and he deserves every last day of his sentence. I look forward to his subsequent removal from the United States.”
Special Agent Tremaroli said Adekoya spent almost half his life building a criminal network “that stole from hard-working Americans,” adding that the sentence marks the collapse of the enterprise and guarantees accountability for its leader.
The sprawling conspiracy began to unravel in May 2022 when Broadview Federal Credit Union, formerly CAP COM and SEFCU, flagged a series of suspicious impersonation-based withdrawals at its Capital Region branches in New York.
The credit union referred the anomalies to the FBI Albany Field Office, which launched an investigation that quickly revealed similar fraudulent activity across multiple states.
As investigators connected the dots, Adekoya emerged as the architect of one of the nation’s most organised HELOC fraud networks.
Over time, federal prosecutors secured superseding indictments, adding more coconspirators and charges.
Adekoya was arrested on December 12, 2023. When FBI agents moved to execute a federal search warrant at his New Jersey apartment, he attempted to wipe the primary phone he used to run the conspiracy.
However, investigators recovered multiple burner phones along with a trove of incriminating evidence, including designer handbags, high-end merchandise, a $51,000 Tiffany engagement ring, and $26,000 sitting in a laundering account.
These and other assets have since been forfeited.
In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, Adekoya must serve five years of supervised release.
He has been ordered to pay more than $2.2 million in restitution to victims and a mandatory special assessment of $1,100. After he completes his sentence, he faces removal from the United States.
Fourteen other people have been charged in connection with the scheme, with 13 already having pleaded guilty.
Their sentences range from time served to 11 years in federal prison.
They include: David Daniyan, 61, Brooklyn — 54 months; over $2.2m restitution; Kani Bassie, 36, Brooklyn — 11 years; Davon Hunter, 27, Virginia — 42 months; $469,499 restitution; Christian Quivers, 20, Virginia — 42 months; $385,650 restitution; Jermon Brooks, 20, Virginia — 36 months; $385,650 restitution, and Akeem Balogun, 56, Brooklyn — 21 months; $262,200 restitution.
Others are Victor Barriera, 64, Bronx — time served; $203,352 restitution; Danielle Cappetti, 46, Bronx — time served; $142,796 restitution; Jerjuan Joyner, 50, Brooklyn — 12 months; Gaysha Kennedy, 46, Brooklyn — time served; $24,500 restitution; Crystal Kurschner, 44, Brooklyn — time served; $220,850 restitution, and Sherry Ozmore, 56, Virginia — time served; $229,303 restitution.
Another coconspirator, Lesley Lucchese, 53, of Manhattan, previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation drew support from dozens of federal, state, and local agencies, including multiple FBI field offices in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Florida; as well as state and municipal police departments across more than a dozen states.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark, Mathew M. Paulbeck, and Joshua R. Rosenthal led the prosecution, culminating in the conviction and sentencing of one of the most prolific HELOC fraudsters in recent American history.
Breaking News
BREAKING NEWS: 54-year-old Woman Apprehended For Running Her Own Prison Classified Illegal
A 54-year-old woman from Nkowankowa, Limpopo, South Africa has been arrested after allegedly operating an illegal prison from her home yard.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The woman, who also owns a local tavern, is accused of detaining patrons and other community members without any legal authority.
According to police reports, the makeshift detention facility began operating on 2 December 2025. The woman is said to have locked up individuals who caused disturbances at her tavern, particularly those who became violent while drunk. She allegedly kept them confined until they sobered up or settled their unpaid bills.
Authorities further revealed that she detained at least 36 people, some for drinking at her tavern without paying, and others for outstanding debts.
Reports also indicate that the woman used the facility to detain men who allegedly assaulted women while drunk at her establishment.
Police have confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
Foreign News
Teanna Trump Sets the Record Straight on Relationship with Nicolas Pépé
Teanna Trump has pushed back against claims that she is with Nicolas Pépé for his wealth, offering a candid defence of her commitment to the former Arsenal winger. Speaking openly about their relationship, she emphasized that financial gain has never been her motivation.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
She revealed that during their first year of dating, she paid for her own flights every two weeks just to make sure Pépé never questioned her intentions. For her, it was important that the Ivorian international understood she came into the relationship as an equal, not someone looking for benefits. “I have my own money,” she insisted, adding that she sees herself as a woman who stands firmly on her own feet.
Trump went further, sharing how she surprised Pépé on his 30th birthday by flying him out on a luxury getaway he knew nothing about. She planned the celebration entirely on her own, setting a thirty thousand dollar budget to mark the milestone. It was, she said, a way of showing appreciation and proving that she is as invested in him as he is in her.
Foreign News
Florida man threatened to decapitate ‘subhuman’ Rep. Ilhan Omar and ‘eat’ her kids after Charlie Kirk remark Independent
Florida man threatened to decapitate ‘subhuman’ Rep. Ilhan Omar and ‘eat’ her kids after Charlie Kirk remark
Independent....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
First in The Independent: Myles McQuade, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting an interstate threat to injure, which could put him behind bars for up to five years
A 30-year-old Florida man is facing up to a half-decade in federal prison after confessing to posting violent threats on social media that promised to decapitate Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, murder her “monkey children,” then eat the kids “for protein,” according to plea agreement papers reviewed by The Independent.
Myles M. McQuade, a Tampa resident, made the threats on X, the Elon Musk-owned social network formerly known as Twitter, one day after Omar criticized late right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk in an interview with a progressive news outlet. Her remarks sparked Republican outrage, leading to GOP legislators insisting Omar be stripped of her committee assignments.
“Go back to Somalia before its [sic] too late,” McQuade warned in one post, which is reproduced in his December 2 plea.
In another, McQuade addressed Omar as “you dirty subhuman [N-word].”
In both instances, McQuade’s plea, which was added to the public docket on December 4, says that the threat to kill Omar was “intended… to be a true threat of violence,” and that he “recognized that it would be viewed as a true threat of violence… not idle talk, a careless remark, or something said jokingly.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, is the only Somali-American member of Congress. She said she has faced a skyrocketing number of death threats in recent months, and a Florida man, 30-year-old Myles M. McQuade, has now pleaded guilty to threatening her life.
McQuade is an account executive at a tech company, according to his LinkedIn profile. The charges against him have not been previously reported.
Omar’s family fled war-torn Somalia when Omar was a child. They were granted asylum in 1995, and Omar became a U.S. citizen five years later, at the age of 17. The 43-year-old legislator, who has represented Minnesota’s 5th congressional district since 2019, is the first Somali-American member of Congress, and one of two Muslim women presently serving.
A member of “The Squad,” a group of far-left-leaning Democratic lawmakers, Omar has faced ongoing death threats from the MAGA faithful amid years of vitriolic attacks by President Trump, who last week during a televised cabinet meeting described Omar and her fellow Somali-Americans as “garbage,” and called for Omar to be “thrown the hell out of our country.”
“Those Somalians should be out of here,” Trump ranted, using an incorrect term for Somalis. “They’ve destroyed our country. And all they do is complain, complain, complain. You have her – she’s always talking about ‘the constitution provides me with uhhhh,’” he continued, referring to Omar.
“Go back to your own country and figure out your constitution. All she does is complain about this country and without this country she would not be in very good shape. She probably wouldn’t be alive right now.”
In October, Omar told NBC News that she feared for her life due to a sharp spike in threats over her criticisms of Israel. GOP leaders did nothing to push back against the “toxic language” being used by party members, refusing to “hold extremists in their ranks accountable,” she said, noting that this kind of behavior in fact has “real-world consequences.”
“Since assuming office, two men have pleaded guilty to threatening to kill me,” Omar told the outlet. “This is very real. I fear for my children and have to speak to them about remaining vigilant because you just never know.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar is the only Somali-American member of Congress, and one of two Muslim women serving in the legislative body. She has faced a recent uptick in violent threats, stoked in part by public animosity from the White House
On Sept. 11, Omar sat for an interview with Zeteo, during which she expressed concern that conservatives had “weaponized” the fatal September 10 shooting of Charlie Kirk to attack the left. While emphasizing that Kirk’s death was in fact tragic, Omar said those on the right had recast Kirk wrongly as a unifying presence, rather than a divisive figure who last year demanded she be deported.
“There are a lot of people who are out there talking about him [Kirk] just wanting to have a civil debate,” Omar told host Mehdi Hasan. “These people are full of s**t, and it’s important for us to call them out while we feel anger and sadness.”
At 12:33 a.m. on September 12, McQuade – who was vacationing in Orlando, according to his plea papers – logged onto X and posted a message aimed at a target identified in court documents as “U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN 1.”
“[U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN 1] I’m going to kill you, you dirty subhuman [N-word] and I’ll eat your monkey children for protein,” the post read. “Go back to Somalia before its [sic] too late.”
Eight minutes after that, McQuade followed up with a second X message, according to the plea documents.
“[N-word]. When this country falls I’m going to kill your children in front of you then cut your head off,” the post read.
(US District Court for the Middle District of Florida)
McQuade’s plea bargain says he was “motivated by U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN 1’s status as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and her official actions.”
As is customary for the Department of Justice, the filing does not include the victim’s name. However, the language used in court filings, in addition to McQuade’s messages, make clear she was the target. (Omar’s office did not respond to a request for comment; a Department of Justice spokesperson declined to share any additional detail.)
Shortly before 8 a.m. that morning, the U.S. Capitol Police “received a report of these threats… and began investigating,” the plea papers say. A team of Capitol Police special agents showed up at McQuade’s apartment that evening, in an attempt to question him, but he was out of town, the plea goes on.
“The agents attempted to contact McQuade by phone, but when they identified themselves, he disconnected the call,” it states.
The agents returned to McQuade’s apartment on Sept. 14, and “attempted an interview,” according to the plea, which does not provide further specifics.
President Trump last week described Rep. Ilhan Omar as ‘garbage,’ and called for her to be deported
Prosecutors charged McQuade in a bill of information filed December 2. He pleaded guilty the same day to one count of transmitting an interstate threat to injure.
The charge carries a maximum of five years behind bars, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
Seamus Hughes, a senior research faculty member at University of Nebraska Omaha’s National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center, and an expert on violent extremism, is seeing more and more people like McQuade crossing his professional radar.
“With three weeks still to go, 2025 continues its record of the most federal arrests involving threats to public officials in at least a decade,” Hughes told The Independent. “The violent rhetoric touches on all levels of public service, be it the local election official, to a Minnesota congresswoman, to the president of the United States – the connective glue being a rising and concerning subset of Americans who see threatening murder as an acceptable outlet to express their political disagreements. It never is, it never should be, and hopefully… it never will be.”
McQuade is set to appear for a hearing in Tampa federal court on December 22.
Defense attorney Andrew Searle, who is representing McQuade, did not respond on Monday to a request for comment.
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