Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - A former building inspector with the City of St. Louis, United States, has been indicted and accused of steering $1.67 million meant for the repair of decrepit buildings in St. Louis to himself and relatives.
Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola was indicted in U.S. District Court
in St. Louis on March 12, 2026 with three counts of wire fraud.
He is in custody and made his initial appearance in court on
Friday.
The indictment says that while a building division inspector
with the City of St. Louis, Popoola steered money that was meant to renovate
and rehabilitate privately-owned buildings into companies owned by his sister
and his wife.
Popoola had his sister, who lives in Texas and has no
construction background, register a company in Missouri in October of 2022
called Farst Construction LLC.
Popoola’s longtime paramour (and later wife) incorporated a
Missouri business called Premier Finish Contractors LLC in February of 2021.
The indictment says Popoola steered about $1.4 million to
Farst from the city’s Stable Communities STL program and about $339,500 from
the city’s Prop NS program for purported rehabilitation and stabilization work.
Popoola caused about $1.3 million from the Stable
Communities STL program and about $1 million from the Prop NS program to be
awarded to Premier, the indictment says.
Of the 59 contracts awarded through the Stable Communities
STL program, Popoola caused 13 to be awarded to Farst and 10 to be issued to
Premier, the indictment says, for a combined total of about 42% of the $7.99
million awarded.
Of the 144 contracts awarded through the Prop NS program,
Popoola caused 8 to be awarded to Farst and 23 to be awarded to Premier, the
indictment says, for about 24% of the $5.6 million total.
Stable Communities was funded through federal American
Rescue Plan Act funds received by the city.
Prop NS was funded through city-issued general obligation
bonds.
Farst and Premier did not perform the contracted work on
multiple properties, but Popoola falsely certified to the city’s Comptroller
that the work had been performed completely and properly, the indictment says.
Popoola and his wife had one or more joint bank accounts
where the city funds were deposited.
He had the same arrangement with his sister. In one example
provided in the indictment, when Farst received a $29,500 check from the Prop
NS program in February of 2023, Popoola’s sister immediately issued herself a
$15,000 check from the Farst business account and deposited it into her
personal bank account, then immediately wrote a $10,000 check to Popoola.
Popoola, his sister and his wife obtained about $1.67
million after paying subcontractors for purported work on the stabilization
projects, the indictment says.
Popoola used the money for residential mortgage payments,
multiple vehicle purchases and repairs, travel expenses, his September 2023
Hawaii wedding, casino gambling, and other dining and entertainment expenses,
the indictment says.
Popoola lied on city documents when he falsely stated that
he had no personal interest, directly or indirectly, in a contract with the
City of St. Louis and that he had no interest in any business, the indictment
says.
His sister and wife lied on contract documents when they
falsely claimed that “No officer, employee, or member of the governing body of
the City of St. Louis, Missouri who exercises any functions or responsibilities
in connection with the carrying out of the Project to which this Contract
pertains shall have any private interest, direct or indirect, in this
contract,” the indictment says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations
and do not constitute proof of guilt.
Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until
proven guilty.
The FBI investigated the case, with substantial cooperation
from the City of St. Louis Comptroller’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal
Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
0 Comments