Rotimi Oladimeji ICE arrest follows fraud conviction and $1.1M restitution order in the US

Rotimi Oladimeji ICE arrest has reignited attention on fraud-related immigration offenses in the United States. The Nigerian national, previously convicted of wire and mail fraud, was taken into custody during a nationwide operation targeting illegal immigrants.

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The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) disclosed on Monday via its official X handle that Oladimeji was ordered to pay over $1.1 million in restitution before being arrested in New Orleans.

ICE described him as a “criminal alien,” adding that his criminal record included multiple fraud offenses.

Court documents show that in December 2023, Oladimeji was sentenced to three years in prison by a US District Court after pleading guilty to aiding Nigerian scammers in defrauding a woman through an online romance scheme.

According to the US Department of Justice, the fraud began in October 2019 when Oladimeji and his co-conspirators tricked the victim into believing she was in a relationship with a veterinarian in St. Louis.

They fabricated a story about the man being unable to leave Dubai without financial assistance, leading the victim to send repeated payments.

In total, the woman lost nearly $1.17 million. Oladimeji reportedly pocketed 20 percent of the illicit proceeds, while other accomplices also collected their shares before forwarding the rest to scammers in Nigeria.

Although he completed his prison term, Oladimeji remained in the United States despite being placed on deportation.

His arrest aligns with ICE’s ongoing enforcement actions targeting criminal migrants, a policy intensified under former President Donald Trump’s directives.

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With this arrest, Oladimeji joins the growing list of offenders being deported after serving their criminal sentences.