The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has requested that Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) locate and arrest two Nigerians, Babatunde Shodiya and Yinka Jamiu, who are wanted for allegedly defrauding American healthcare providers of $13 million through a fake website, as reported by Peoples Gazette.
Shodiya, 43, and Jamiu, 31, have been indicted in the United States for their alleged involvement in a fraudulent business email scheme targeting healthcare companies in Minnesota. On September 25, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota indicted them for defrauding several healthcare providers between October 2020 and 2024.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger stated that Shodiya and Jamiu manipulated employees at various Minnesota-based healthcare firms, deceiving them into redirecting payments to fraudulent accounts. He explained, “As part of the scheme, Babatunde and Ahmed created a fake ‘spoofed’ internet domain designed to appear as though it was controlled by Fairview Health.”
Luger added that the vendor companies were unaware that the new accounts were actually controlled by Shodiya, Jamiu, and their co-conspirators, rather than Fairview Health. In total, they fraudulently directed more than $13 million in payments intended for Fairview Health to accounts they controlled.
Peoples Gazette reports that U.S. authorities have confirmed the suspects are Nigerian citizens residing in Nigeria. Sources familiar with the situation indicated that American officials have communicated their concerns to the EFCC. An EFCC officer, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, stated, “The U.S. officials reached out to us and informed us that the suspects are believed to be hiding in Nigeria.”
The EFCC source emphasized their commitment to addressing the request, saying, “We have a duty to honor this request in line with our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. in addressing cross-border crimes.”
Shodiya and Jamiu allegedly exploited Optum Pay, a payment system commonly used by healthcare providers in Minnesota, by creating a fake domain to manipulate payment transfers. They set up a counterfeit website, fairviewhospitals.org, impersonating key officials within the hospital network, including the CEO, executive vice president, and a business analyst, through fraudulent email accounts.
Using these fake email addresses, the pair sent phishing emails to Fairview Health employees, tricking them into revealing their login credentials. In addition to the wire fraud charges, Shodiya faces an extra charge of aggravated identity theft for impersonating Fairview’s executives.
