A 34-year-old Nigerian man, Adetunji Abudu, has been arrested at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, over alleged involvement in a fraud and money-laundering scheme targeting elderly Americans, years after he reportedly fled the United States for Nigeria in 2019.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island announced the arrest in a statement published on Monday, saying Abudu, who is from Lagos, was apprehended while attempting to enter the country from Istanbul, Turkey.

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According to the office, Abudu is one of six defendants named in a superseding indictment alleging that millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes operated from Nigeria were laundered through bank accounts and businesses in the United States.

The alleged schemes reportedly targeted elderly Americans through online romance scams, fraudulent sweepstakes, fake rental listings and deceptive online shipping transactions.

The indictment alleges that money obtained from victims was channelled through accounts and businesses in Rhode Island, Idaho and other locations before significant proceeds were transferred to Nigeria.

Investigators also alleged that members of the conspiracy purchased vehicles with proceeds from the schemes and shipped them overseas.

The US Attorney’s Office said Abudu left the country for Nigeria in 2019 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a court-authorised search of his residence in North Providence, Rhode Island.

Five of his co-defendants — Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintol, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba and Oladipup Shodipu — have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the statement.

They received prison sentences ranging from time served to 42 months.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney John P. McAdams and was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the US Postal Inspection Service and police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho.

The investigation centres on allegations that the defendants participated in schemes that defrauded victims, particularly elderly Americans, and moved the proceeds through financial accounts and business operations.

The arrest at Logan International Airport followed Abudu’s attempted return to the United States from Turkey.

The US Attorney’s Office emphasised that an indictment constitutes an accusation and that every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.