A former building inspector for the City of St. Louis has been indicted for allegedly misappropriating $1.67 million designated for the renovation of deteriorating buildings.
Adebanjo "Banjo" Popoola was charged in U.S. District Court on March 12, 2026, facing three counts of wire fraud.
Currently in custody, he made his initial appearance in court on Friday.
According to the indictment, while serving as a building division inspector, Popoola redirected funds intended for the restoration and rehabilitation of privately-owned structures into companies belonging to his wife and sister.
In October 2022, he had his sister, who resides in Texas and lacks any background in construction, establish a company named Farst Construction LLC in Missouri.
Meanwhile, his long-term partner, later his wife, founded a Missouri business called Premier Finish Contractors LLC in February 2021.
The indictment alleges that Popoola funneled approximately $1.4 million to Farst from the city’s Stable Communities STL program and around $339,500 from the city's Prop NS program under false pretenses.
He is reported to have directed roughly $1.3 million from the Stable Communities STL initiative and around $1 million from the Prop NS program to Premier.
Out of the 59 contracts allocated via the Stable Communities STL program, Popoola facilitated 13 to Farst and 10 to Premier, cumulatively accounting for about 42% of the $7.99 million distributed.
In addition, Popoola influenced the awarding of 8 contracts to Farst and 23 to Premier out of 144 contracts under the Prop NS program, representing about 24% of the overall $5.6 million.
The Stable Communities initiative was financed through federal American Rescue Plan funds channeled to the city.
Conversely, the Prop NS program was backed by general obligation bonds issued by the city.
Both Farst and Premier failing to execute the work prescribed for numerous properties, though Popoola falsely certified to the City Comptroller that the tasks had been adequately completed.
Popoola, along with his wife, shared joint bank accounts into which the city funds were deposited.
Similar financial arrangements existed with his sister. One instance detailed in the indictment notes that when Farst received a check worth $29,500 from the Prop NS program in February 2023, his sister quickly wrote herself a $15,000 check from the Farst business account, transferring it to her personal account, and then issued a $10,000 check to Popoola.
Popoola and his family reportedly collected approximately $1.67 million after compensating subcontractors for purported stabilization project work.
The funds were reportedly used for personal mortgage payments, several vehicle transactions, travel costs, his September 2023 wedding in Hawaii, casino gambling, and other leisure activities.
The indictment states that Popoola falsely declared on city documents that he had no personal interest, either directly or indirectly, in contracts with the City of St. Louis and denied having any ownership in the businesses involved.
His sister and wife also falsely asserted on contract documentation that no city official involved with the project had any private interest in the associated contracts.
It is important to note that the charges detailed in the indictment are merely allegations and do not serve as evidence of guilt.
Every defendant holds an assumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with significant collaboration from the City of St. Louis Comptroller’s Office. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith.
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