The FBI has arrested 47 year old Ajibola Oduntan, a UK based Nigerian national who also holds an Irish passport, for allegedly orchestrating a ticket fraud scheme that defrauded Kentucky Performing Arts of over $100,000 during the Broadway musical Wicked in late 2023.
Oduntan is facing charges of wire fraud and conspiracy in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Investigators report that he misappropriated credit card details from United States citizens to purchase at least 61 tickets from KPA, which he subsequently resold on StubHub, a prominent ticket resale platform.
The fraudulent activities became apparent after banks initiated chargebacks, resulting in significant financial losses for KPA. The theater informed the FBI about the incident, providing transaction records that included names, emails, and IP addresses associated with the scheme.
Although Oduntan used VPNs, the FBI managed to trace funds from StubHub through PayPal accounts to his Revolut and Allied Irish Bank accounts in Ireland. Court documents indicate that nearly $350,000 was transferred from StubHub to PayPal between January 2023 and July 2024.
Special Agent Daniel Heath connected multiple PayPal and StubHub accounts registered with emails such as fenan*****@gmail.com and roman*****@gmail.com directly to Oduntan. His United States visa application also listed a phone number linked to the fraudulent accounts.
Authorities apprehended Oduntan upon his arrival in the United States in late August. He has pleaded not guilty and is currently held at the Grayson County Detention Centre. A grand jury indicted him on September 3, and his trial is scheduled for November 10.