A United States District Court has sentenced a 27-year-old Nigerian, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, to five years’ imprisonment for his involvement in a sextortion and money laundering scheme connected to the death of an American teenager.
The sentence was handed down by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after Adewale pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud.
In a statement announcing the judgment, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, said the court sentenced Adewale to 60 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
According to the statement, Adewale was arrested in Nigeria on August 17, 2023, during a coordinated operation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation targeting suspects linked to online sexual extortion crimes against victims in the United States.
He was later extradited to the US in February 2026 through the collaboration of American and Nigerian authorities before pleading guilty in April.
Reacting to the conviction, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, Wayne A. Jacobs, said the judgment underscores the agency’s determination to pursue cybercriminals regardless of where they operate.
He noted that the successful prosecution resulted from extensive collaboration among domestic and international law enforcement agencies, adding that the FBI remains committed to identifying and bringing perpetrators of online exploitation to justice.
Jacobs also described the case as a reminder that those who prey on vulnerable victims online cannot evade accountability simply by operating from outside the United States.
Also commenting, Chief Patrick Molloy of the Abington Township Police Department commended the cooperation between federal investigators and local authorities that led to the successful prosecution.
He said while the conviction may provide some measure of justice, it cannot erase the pain suffered by the victim’s family.
US prosecutors disclosed that Adewale was the last of three Nigerian nationals convicted in connection with the sextortion case.
One of his co-defendants, Samuel Abiodun, previously pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud and received a five-year prison sentence in June 2025.
Another accomplice, Imoleayo Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” admitted guilt to multiple offences, including cyberstalking, interstate threats to damage reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud. Aina was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in October 2025.
Metcalf said the convictions should serve as a strong warning to individuals involved in online sextortion and cyber-enabled crimes, stressing that US authorities would continue to work with international partners to track down offenders wherever they are located.
He added that although the criminal case had concluded, the loss suffered by the victim’s family remains a lasting tragedy.
