The Federal Government has extradited a 26-year-old Nigerian, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, to the United States over his alleged involvement in a sexual extortion scheme linked to the death of a teenager in Pennsylvania.
Adewale, described as the third Nigerian handed over to U.S. authorities in connection with the case, is facing charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynne A. Sitarski at a federal court in Philadelphia.
The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed that Adewale was apprehended in Nigeria on August 17, 2023, during a coordinated operation with the FBI aimed at dismantling sextortion networks preying on minors in the United States.
He was eventually extradited on Friday, February 13, 2026, with support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja, and Nigerian security agencies.
“The support and assistance of Nigerian security authorities was essential to this effort, notably that of Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,” United States Attorney David Metcalf said in a statement.
Investigators said the scheme targeted Jack Sullivan, a student who later took his own life after allegedly being trapped in the online sexual extortion plot.
Two other Nigerians previously extradited over the same case are Imoleayo Samuel Aina, 27, also known by the alias “Alice Dave,” and Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 26. Both were transferred to the U.S. in August 2024.
Abiodun pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud and was sentenced in June 2025 to five years’ imprisonment.
Aina admitted guilt to charges including cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud. He was sentenced in October 2025 to six years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency alongside the Abington Township Police Department, while Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown is handling the prosecution.
Authorities reiterated that the charges in the indictment are allegations and that all defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The latest extradition underscores growing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States in tackling cybercrime.
In recent years, Nigeria has extradited several suspects to the U.S., including Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi in 2023 over a sextortion case that resulted in a teenager’s death.
In 2025, Olamide Shanu was also extradited from the United Kingdom to the U.S. for allegedly participating in a sextortion operation that reportedly extorted at least $2 million from victims.
Additionally, Nigerian authorities, working with counterparts in 15 other African countries, recently arrested 651 suspected cybercrime offenders and recovered assets valued at $45 million as part of a continent-wide crackdown.
