November 3, 2026
ST. LOUIS — A former St. Louis building inspector was sentenced Tuesday to six years in federal prison for diverting more than $1.6 million from programs intended to stabilize and repair deteriorating city properties, federal prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone also ordered Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola to repay $1,642,908. Popoola pleaded guilty in June to three counts of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Popoola worked in the city’s Building Division, where he helped administer Stable Communities STL and Prop NS. The first program used federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for privately owned properties, while Prop NS used city bond funds for properties owned by the Land Reutilization Authority.
His responsibilities included identifying buildings for rehabilitation, preparing work requirements, reviewing bids, awarding contracts, inspecting projects and certifying work for payment.
Contracts directed to family-linked businesses
Prosecutors said Popoola steered 41 contracts to Farst Construction LLC, a company he helped organize with his sister, and 50 contracts to Premier Finish Contractors LLC, a business he helped his then-fiancée organize.
The two companies received about 42% of the funding distributed through Stable Communities STL, according to prosecutors. On multiple projects, the companies were paid for work that was not completed, while Popoola falsely certified that the work had been done.
Federal authorities said Popoola and family members obtained $1,642,908 through the scheme. Prosecutors said the money went toward mortgage payments, vehicles, travel, casino gambling, entertainment and a September 2023 wedding in Hawaii.
In a sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith called it “a case of greed, plain and simple.”
Damage to neighborhood rehabilitation efforts
A property owner in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood said $48,500 in repair funds was stolen from a Rowan Avenue project, leaving significant structural problems unresolved.
In a statement to the court, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said the city may have to return millions of dollars in federal relief money. Payments to legitimate contractors were also disrupted during the investigation, delaying other stabilization projects, including work on buildings damaged by the May 2025 tornado.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the St. Louis Comptroller’s Office. Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, news release dated November 3, 2026.
