US Arrests Nigerian Convict for Larceny and Money Laundering, Faces Deportation

​United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken a Nigerian national, Raphael Oludemilade-Adebowale, into custody following his state-level convictions for financial crimes in Massachusetts.

​The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the development, placing Oludemilade-Adebowale among individuals targeted in an ongoing nationwide enforcement sweep focused on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records.

​Court and law enforcement records indicate that Oludemilade-Adebowale was tried and found guilty by a jury in a Massachusetts Superior Court following an indictment in Bridgewater. The charges stemmed from a scheme involving the theft of over $1,200 from an elderly victim—specifically a person over the age of 60—alongside connected money laundering offenses. Legal efforts by his defense team to have the indictment dismissed were previously rejected by the court. Following his unsuccessful appeal and subsequent exhaustion of local legal challenges, federal immigration authorities moved in to execute the arrest.

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​The enforcement action aligns with an aggressive escalation of immigration policies under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has prioritized the identification, apprehension, and rapid removal of non-citizens with felony convictions.

​Department officials reiterated that federal operations will continue to target foreign nationals deemed threats to public safety, despite opposition from local sanctuary jurisdictions. Oludemilade-Adebowale is currently being held in federal custody pending formal deportation proceedings.