The FBI is alleged to have arrested an alleged notorious 25-year-old Nigerian fraudster, Oluyomi Omobolanle Bombata, also known as Bobo Chicago, for allegedly defrauding multiple companies and individuals of $2.8million.
Bobo Chicago, whose lavish lifestyle earned him the nickname “Bola Flexx” was reportedly arrested on November 20 in Illinois, Chicago, based on an arrest warrant issued in Oklahoma against him.
The warrant of arrest was issued following multiple criminal complaints and an investigation that raised suspicions about his activities.
Bobo Chicago is believed to have targeted the Nigerian community in the Houston metropolitan area before fleeing to Chicago.
From there, he was extradited to Oklahoma, where he faces five criminal charges including: wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions, all of which occurred between June and October 2023.
Authorities have also detained his co-conspirator. The FBI has traced $2.8 million in fraudulent funds that Bobo Chicago allegedly obtained by hacking into several company and individual accounts in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Investigators also discovered that he transferred more than $300,000 in fraudulent money to a popular liquor store, implicating the store owner in the process.
Judge Beth Jantz of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois authorized Bobo Chicago’s transfer to Oklahoma to face the charges.
He has been assigned a public defender after stating that he lacks the financial resources to mount a defense on his own, which suggests he may be willing to serve time rather than spend a fortune trying to prove his innocence.
Bobo Chicago’s arrest adds to the growing list of Nigerians currently imprisoned or facing charges related to major fraud schemes.
The FBI has been instrumental in tracking down high-profile Nigerian fraudsters, including Hushpuppi and Mr. Woodberry, both of whom are serving time for scamming millions from U.S. companies.
Hushpuppi, arrested in Dubai in June 2020 and extradited to the U.S., was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 11 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II. Mr. Woodberry was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in July 2023 by Judge Robert Gettleman in Chicago after pleading guilty to one count of fraud, with seven other counts dropped in a plea deal.
In a related development, Bidemi Rufai, a convicted associate of Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, was released earlier this month.