FBI Charges Nigerian With Allegedly Stealing $1.4 Million From A US University (Watch Video)
Kolawole Erinle, a Nigerian, has been charged with defrauding Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences of $1.4 million.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed three counts of charges against Erinle, including conspiracy, retention of proceeds of criminal activity, and obtaining money by false pretenses. He is currently on trial with his company, Rinde-Remdex Nigeria Limited.
On Tuesday, February 7, Mr. Ayotunde Solademi, a representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, described how Kolawole Erinle allegedly robbed Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB).
The witness, an investigator for the FBI’s Office of the Legal Attach at the US Consulate in Nigeria who is a member of the Foreign Service, claimed that the university had fallen victim to spoofing, a type of cyberattack that targets companies by utilizing false sender addresses.
Solademi, the first witness for the prosecution, who was cross-examined by Temitope Banjo, counsel for the EFCC, testified before the court that KCUMB underwent a significant construction project with a company called J.E.Dunn in Kansas City at some point in 2019 and that the university made a wire transfer of roughly $1.41 million to an account it believed belonged to J. E. Dunn.
“On March 27, 2019, J.E. Dunn contacted KCUMB and asked about the payment for the outstanding invoices. KCUMB responded that the payment has been made,” he claimed.
Following this, the issue was reported to the FBI, and an inquiry revealed that the Chief Financial Officer of Dunn’s email account had been faked.”
He said that on March 5, 2019, KCUMB wired $1.41 million into a Bank of America account with the account number 6843.
Added he, “Someone gained access to that account that day and sent $850,000 to a Diamond Bank account (now owned by Access Bank) that ended in 4471.
The same Bank of America account was still accessed the next day, on March 6, 2019, when $560,000 was sent to the same Nigerian bank account.
The investigation revealed, according to the witness who testified before Justice Ramon Oshodi, that the Bank of America account had an account named
