Blessing Adeleke, a Nigerian administrator at Shadowinfo, an online marketplace, has been convicted by a federal jury in the United States of America after pleading guilty to one count charge of bank fraud and 16 counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on Wednesday.

According to the information made available on the website of the US Department of Justice, Adeleke, 31, played a major role in a conspiracy to obtain stolen financial information, make fraudulent and unauthorised purchases of retail goods and gift cards and steal funds from victim bank accounts in Northern Ohio and other places within US territory.

The Nigerian committed the crime between January 2013 and October 2016.

Through his position at Shad0w.info, he sold compromised data such as credit numbers and personally identifiable information (PII) to his co-conspirators.

Adeleke also gained access to at least one bank account belonging to a victim in Pepper Pike, Ohio, from which he sent 16 fraudulent cheques.

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“As part of the conspiracy, Adeleke and others obtained stolen credit card information and purchased items, such as retail goods and gift cards for themselves.  Adeleke shared this stolen credit card information with others, including co-defendant Kylie Ann Harlow,” the Justice Department stated.

“Court documents state that Adeleke and Harlow shipped retail goods purchased with the stolen financial information to Harlow and others and, in some instances, returned the goods and gift cards to retail stores to obtain cash.  Adeleke and Harlow eventually forwarded the fraudulently obtained goods, gift cards and cash to other members of the conspiracy for their personal enrichment.”

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Adeleke was living in Ghana when he was apprehended by local authorities and extradited to the US earlier this year.

January 18, 2023 has been scheduled for his sentencing.