Two Nigerian nationals have been extradited to the United States and charged with running sextortion schemes that led to the deaths of two minor victims, the Department of Justice announced on Monday. Adebola Festus Adekunle, 26, and Mudasiru Afeez Olawale, 24, were arrested in Nigeria in August 2023 as part of Operation Artemis, a joint international law enforcement action targeting sextortion rings that prey on minors across the US and worldwide. After three years abroad, both men were brought to the US on Thursday.
Adekunle faces the most serious charges, including sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death — a count that carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison — as well as production of child sexual abuse material, coercion and enticement of a minor, and interstate threats with intent to extort. Olawale faces related charges of sexual exploitation of minors, coercion and enticement, and distribution of child pornography. Both face a maximum sentence of life in prison. FBI Director Kash Patel said: “Sextortion is a heinous crime targeting innocent people, often young children — and this FBI will stop at nothing to pursue every single individual who harms vulnerable Americans.” Sextortion works by threatening victims with the public release of intimate images — either stolen through hacking or obtained through manipulation — to coerce them into paying money or providing further material.