FORMER ST. LOUIS BUILDING INSPECTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO $1.64 MILLION FRAUD SCHEME INVOLVING CITY REHABILITATION PROGRAMS

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A former City of St. Louis building inspector has pleaded guilty in federal court to orchestrating a years-long fraud scheme that diverted approximately $1.64 million intended for neighborhood rehabilitation projects into businesses controlled by his family before using the proceeds for personal expenses, including a Hawaii wedding, mortgage payments, vehicles, travel, gambling, and entertainment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced Tuesday that Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola, 57, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

According to federal prosecutors, Popoola abused his position within the City’s Building Division while overseeing two publicly funded rehabilitation initiatives designed to stabilize deteriorating residential properties throughout St. Louis.

One program, Stable Communities STL, was funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and focused on privately owned properties requiring rehabilitation or stabilization. The second program, Prop NS, was financed through City-issued general obligation bonds and supported repairs to residential properties owned by the City’s Land Reutilization Authority (LRA).

According to court records, Popoola was responsible for identifying eligible properties, developing project scopes, soliciting and reviewing contractor bids, awarding contracts, inspecting completed work, and certifying that work had been properly performed before payments were released to contractors.

Federal prosecutors said he exploited those responsibilities by directing lucrative city contracts to companies secretly controlled by members of his family while concealing his own financial interest in the businesses.

Court documents state that Popoola had his sister, a Texas resident who had never visited St. Louis, establish Farst Construction LLC in Missouri during October 2022. Prosecutors said his future wife had previously formed Premier Finish Contractors LLC in February 2021.

Between June 2023 and November 2024, prosecutors said Popoola directed approximately $1.4 million in Stable Communities STL contracts and $339,500 in Prop NS contracts to Farst Construction.

Between October 2023 and May 2024, he also directed approximately $1.3 million in Stable Communities STL contracts and approximately $853,100 in Prop NS contracts to Premier Finish Contractors.

According to prosecutors, the two companies ultimately received more than $3.3 million in public contracts. Of the approximately $7.19 million distributed through the Stable Communities STL program, Farst Construction received roughly $1.79 million, while Premier Finish Contractors received approximately $1.53 million, representing about 42 percent of all funds disbursed through that program.

Federal prosecutors said property owners and representatives of the Land Reutilization Authority repeatedly reported that Farst Construction and Premier Finish Contractors either failed to complete the contracted rehabilitation work or performed substantially less work than required. Despite those reports, Popoola admitted that he falsely certified projects as properly completed, allowing city funds to be released to the companies.

According to the plea agreement, after subcontractors were paid for portions of the work that had been performed, approximately $1.64 million was shared among Popoola, his sister, and his wife for personal use.

Federal prosecutors said the diverted funds were used for residential mortgage payments, vehicle purchases and repairs, travel expenses, Popoola’s September 2023 wedding in Hawaii, casino gambling, dining, and other personal expenditures.

As part of his guilty plea, Popoola also admitted concealing his ownership interests and financial relationships with the companies while employed by the City of St. Louis.

According to court documents, Employee Secondary Employment Questionnaires submitted in 2022 and 2023 falsely stated that Popoola held no direct or indirect financial interest in City contracts and no ownership interest in outside businesses.

Federal prosecutors also stated that contract documents submitted by his sister and future wife falsely certified that no City official responsible for administering the projects held any direct or indirect private financial interest in the contracts being awarded.

Popoola is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6, 2026.

Each wire fraud conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. He will also be ordered to repay the money obtained through the fraud scheme.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case with substantial assistance from the City of St. Louis Comptroller’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.

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