Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola, a Nigerian-born engineer and former building inspector for the City of St. Louis, faced federal indictment on three counts of wire fraud for allegedly funneling more than 4.7 million in public funds to companies under his control. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced the charges on March 29, 2026. As reported by ALO360, Popoola oversaw city programs designed to stabilize vacant and dilapidated properties using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. Furthermore, he allegedly used his position to award contracts to two companies he created through family members.
Prosecutors Accuse Popoola of Self-Dealing
The indictment alleged that Popoola steered approximately 1.4 million to Farst Construction LLC and about 339,500 to Premier Finish Contractors LLC. Additionally, he directed roughly 1.3 million from the Stable Communities STL program and about 1 million from the Prop NS program to these entities. Consequently, Popoola and his family members personally obtained approximately 1.67 million after paying subcontractors for purported work. The Department of Justice also seeks forfeiture of at least 1.6 million in connection with the scheme.
Companies Lacked Legitimate Operations
Popoola registered Farst Construction with his sister, who resided in Texas and possessed no construction background. Meanwhile, he directed his romantic partner, later his wife, to establish Premier Finish Contractors. The indictment stated that Popoola endorsed and deposited city checks into Farst’s bank account. In one instance, his sister deposited a 15,000 city check into a personal account and then issued her brother a check for 10,000. Furthermore, funds from Premier Finish flowed into a joint bank account controlled by Popoola and his wife.
Personal Expenses Funded with Public Money
Popoola allegedly used the misappropriated funds for personal expenses including residential mortgage payments, vehicle purchases and repairs, travel, gambling, and dining. Specifically, two counts of wire fraud involved the purchase of airline tickets from St. Louis to Honolulu for his 2023 wedding. A third count stemmed from a 5,380.26 payment to Mungenast Lexus to repair a Lexus RX 350 registered to Popoola. Prosecutors stated that all three payments came directly from checks issued by the city.
False Statements Concealed Conflicts
In 2022 and 2023, Popoola completed annual Secondary Employment Questionnaires for the City of St. Louis. He declared that he held “no personal interest, directly or indirectly, in a contract with the City of St. Louis.” Additionally, he falsely represented that he had no interest in any business. These statements concealed his ownership interests in Farst Construction and Premier Finish Contractors.
