UNITED STATES: US-based Nigerian engineer pleads guilty to diverting $1.64m to family’s bank account A former building inspector with the City of St. Louis, Adebanjo Popoola has pleaded guilty to diverting about $1.64 million meant for repairing dilapidated buildings to himself and his relatives. Popoola, 57, admitted to three counts of wire fraud in the […]

UNITED STATES: US-based Nigerian engineer pleads guilty to diverting $1.64m to family’s bank account

A former building inspector with the City of St. Louis, Adebanjo Popoola has pleaded guilty to diverting about $1.64 million meant for repairing dilapidated buildings to himself and his relatives.

Popoola, 57, admitted to three counts of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday.

According to court documents as reported by the US Attorney Office, Popoola oversaw key aspects of two city-funded rehabilitation programmes, Stable Communities STL and Prop NS, while serving as a building division inspector.

Stable Communities STL was funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act and targeted privately owned properties, while Prop NS focused on residential properties owned by the City of St. Louis’ Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) using city-issued general obligation bonds.

As part of his duties, Popoola identified properties for rehabilitation, developed project scopes, reviewed and awarded bids, inspected completed work and certified projects for payment to contractors.

Prosecutors said Popoola admitted orchestrating a scheme in which his sister, a Texas resident who had never visited St. Louis, registered Farst Construction LLC in Missouri in October 2022. His future wife also established Premier Finish Contractors LLC in February 2021.

Between June 2023 and November 2024, Popoola caused Farst Construction to receive about $1.4 million in Stable Communities STL contracts and another $339,500 in Prop NS contracts.

He also directed approximately $1.3 million in Stable Communities STL contracts and about $853,100 in Prop NS contracts to Premier Finish Contractors between October 2023 and May 2024.

Authorities said that of the $7.19 million disbursed under the Stable Communities STL programme, Farst received $1.79 million while Premier received $1.53 million—amounting to 42 per cent of all funds distributed.

Investigators found that several projects paid to the companies were either not completed or not carried out as required, despite Popoola certifying that the work had been properly executed.

After subcontractors were paid, Popoola, his wife and his sister shared approximately $1.64 million in public funds, according to prosecutors.

Court documents showed the money was deposited into joint bank accounts held by Popoola and his wife, as well as accounts he shared with his sister.