A former St. Louis building inspector is at the center of a federal case that prosecutors say twisted a neighborhood repair push into a personal payday. Adebanjo "Banjo" Popoola was indicted Wednesday on three counts of wire fraud, accused of steering roughly $4 million in federally funded building repair contracts to businesses tied to him and his associates. Popoola resigned from the city's Building Division in December 2024 and, according to local reporting, is now in federal custody.
According to St. Louis Magazine, the indictment says Popoola directed $1,743,825 in city work to Farst Construction, a company the filings describe as having been set up by his sister, and $2,362,300 to Premier Finish Contractors, which the documents tie to a woman identified as T.G. The outlet also reports that about $277,000 went to Maxify Contractors and that, in some instances, Popoola allegedly received and endorsed city checks that were later deposited into Farst's account. Prosecutors allege two of the wire fraud counts involve airline tickets from St. Louis to Honolulu for Popoola's 2023 wedding, and the third centers on a $5,380.26 payment to Mungenast Lexus, all as outlined in the indictment.
ARPA Program And The Sudden Freeze
The contracts grew out of a city initiative funded with American Rescue Plan Act dollars, designed to stabilize vacant and derelict properties. As reported by Engineering News-Record, the program had about $13 million allocated and executed roughly 59 repair contracts between March 2023 and November 2024 before it was put on ice amid a wave of complaints. ENR noted that a federal lawsuit followed and that some invoices described work that appeared nonsensical or plainly shoddy, prompting city leaders to rethink how they handled procurement and oversight.
City Response And The Expanding Probe
City officials paused the stabilization programs, announced they were reviewing past contracts, and began revising how contractors are selected. Then-mayor Tishaura Jones, according to reporting, requested investigations by the FBI and the state auditor into the Building Division. Popoola's December 2024 resignation landed as those reviews and complaints intensified, and the city has said it would scrutinize past disbursements tied to the programs.
Legal Stakes And What Comes Next
The indictment charges three counts of wire fraud, a federal offense that can carry up to 20 years in prison under certain circumstances, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The allegations in the indictment are just that, allegations, and Popoola is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in a court of law.
Investigators and local reporters say the case hinges on a money trail running through city checks and bank accounts that prosecutors will seek to follow in federal court. This story will be updated as additional court filings surface and officials release new statements.
