A Nigerian named Adebola Adekunle has been sent from Nigeria to the United States to face charges for sextorting a minor.
The US Department of Justice announced that Mr Adekunle was extradited to the US to answer for the extortion of a minor in Mississippi. This crime allegedly led to the death of the victim.
In a statement on Monday, the US State Department revealed that Mr Adekunle was arrested in Nigeria in 2023 and sent to the US three years later.
He was arrested in August 2023 during a larger operation with the FBI. This operation aimed to catch sexual extortionists who target minors in the US. He was extradited on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The authorities said Mr Adekunle faces a three-count federal indictment. The charges include sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, production of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate threats with intent to extort.
Mr Adekunle appeared before a federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, for his first court session last month.
According to the Department of State, he could get up to life in prison. There are also mandatory minimum sentences for at least two of the charges.
If found guilty of the count for child exploitation resulting in death, he faces a mandatory 30-year prison sentence.
US Attorney Scott Leary commented, "Several weeks ago we announced an undercover operation dealing with child exploitation, which resulted in 70 arrests. Unfortunately, here we are again in an unrelated child victimisation case. This time a child died."
This case adds to the number of sextortion cases involving Nigerians in the US. Many Nigerians have been sent to America for sexual extortion schemes and other cybercrimes, including wire fraud and money laundering.
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