The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested a Nigerian, Rotimi Oladimeji, as part of its ongoing clampdown on illegal and criminal migrants.
ICE, in a statement on its official X handle, said Oladimeji had been ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution before his arrest in New Orleans.
According to the agency, his criminal history includes mail and wire fraud.
Court records show that in December 2023, a U.S. District Court sentenced Oladimeji to three years’ imprisonment for aiding scammers in Nigeria to defraud an American woman in a romance scam. The victim reportedly lost about $1.17 million after being tricked into believing she was in an online relationship with a veterinarian in St. Louis.
Oladimeji was said to have pocketed 20 percent of the fraudulent proceeds, while accomplices in Nigeria and other middlemen shared the remainder.
Although his conviction also came with a deportation order, the Nigerian remained in the U.S. after serving his jail term until his recent arrest.
ICE said Oladimeji’s case is among thousands of arrests made under the renewed crackdown on illegal migrants.
