Severn Man To Serve 7 Years After Fraud Conviction

A judge has sentenced a Severn man to more than seven years in prison after he was convicted of fraud for a third time.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baltimore said Adetokunbo Olumbuni Adepoju, 39, was sentenced Wednesday to 88 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. He was convicted in August of bank fraud and identity theft following a four-day trial. When he was arrested for the crime in 2010, he was on supervised release relating to a 2003 conviction on similar charges. 

Prosecutors said Adepoju was the subject of a Homeland Security investigation after agents learned that he planned to commit fraud against a bank using someone’s stolen identity.

Using a confidential source, agents tracked Adepoju between August and October of 2010. They learned that he planned to open a bank account using fraudulent documents, then deposit a fraudulent check into the account and withdraw the money. 

In trying to execute the crime, prosecutors said Adepoju asked the confidential source to open accounts using an employee identification number of a trucking company in Temple Hills, as well as personal information for a person named “T.A.” Adepoju, then provided two cashier’s checks in $28,000 and $70,500 for the source to deposit. 

The source and Adepoju arranged to meet in order to split the cash, but investigators called off the meeting, fearing that Adepoju was aware he was being watched. Investigators then obtained a warrant and arrested Adepoju at his home. They also seized cell phones, fraudulent checks and a thumb drive, and learned that he had set up accounts in the name of “T.A” in at least six banks.

Adepoju had been convicted of similar crimes twice before. When he was arrested in 2010, he was already on supervised release following a 2003 mail fraud conviction. When he was convicted in 2003, he was on supervised release for a bank fraud conviction. 

Prosecutors said Adepoju has used dozens of aliases and at least three social security numbers over the years.