A former St. Louis city building inspector was indicted Wednesday on three counts of wire fraud for allegedly funneling city construction contracts to companies set up at his direction by his sister and his romantic partner (later his wife). He is now in federal custody.
Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola resigned from his position in December 2024 amid mounting questions about contracts awarded to his companies through federally funded programs meant to stabilize vacant and rundown properties.
As part of overseeing those programs, Popoola was tasked with identifying properties for rehab, bidding out the work for each property, and selecting the winning contractor, the indictment against him says. It was also his job to certify with the city Comptroller’s Office that the work had in fact been done and the funds should be disbursed…