FBI Arrests UK-Based Nigerian Over $100,000 Broadway Ticket Fraud

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested 47-year-old Ajibola Oduntan, a Nigerian-born British resident who also holds an Irish passport, on allegations of orchestrating a large-scale ticket fraud that defrauded Kentucky Performing Arts (KPA) of more than $100,000 during a 2023 run of the Broadway hit Wicked.

Oduntan faces charges of wire fraud and conspiracy in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Investigators allege that he obtained the credit card details of American citizens, using them to purchase at least 61 tickets from KPA, which were later resold on StubHub, a leading ticket resale marketplace.

The scheme came to light when banks processed chargebacks, leaving KPA to absorb significant financial losses. The theatre subsequently alerted the FBI, handing over transaction records containing names, email addresses and IP data tied to the purchases.

Despite attempts to conceal his tracks through VPNs, investigators say they traced payments from StubHub via PayPal to Oduntan’s Revolut and Allied Irish Bank accounts in Ireland. Court filings show that nearly $350,000 was moved from StubHub to PayPal between January 2023 and July 2024.

Special Agent Daniel Heath linked several StubHub and PayPal accounts — including those registered with the email addresses fenan****@gmail.com* and roman****@gmail.com* — directly to Oduntan. Further evidence came from his US visa application, which listed a phone number associated with the fraudulent accounts.

Oduntan was arrested on arrival in the United States in late August. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held at Grayson County Detention Centre. A grand jury indicted him on 3 September, with his trial set to commence on 10 November.