- Franklin Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru LGA in Anambra State, was arrested in Texas by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar romance scam
- Nwadialo faces 14 counts of wire fraud, accused of defrauding victims of over $3.3 million by posing as a U.S. military officer online
- If found guilty, Nwadialo faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud
Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, was arrested upon arrival at a Texas airport in the United States on charges related to a multi-million-dollar romance fraud scheme.
Nwadialo, who was indicted in December 2023 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, faces 14 counts of wire fraud. The defendant allegedly scammed victims out of up to $2 million by posing as a romantic partner deployed in the U.S. military.
Nwadialo was traveling from Nigeria when he was taken into custody. He is now set to be transported to the Western District of Washington for arraignment.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman disclosed the challenges of prosecuting defendants involved in overseas romance scams, stating, “All too often, the defendants in these romance scams are overseas and unreachable by U.S. law enforcement.”
She commended the investigators for their persistence in bringing the defendant to justice. According to the indictment and criminal complaint filed in the case, Nwadialo allegedly defrauded victims of more than $3.3 million.
Nwadialo used various versions of the name ‘Giovanni” when he met his victims online on websites such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. Nwadialo used false images for his profile and typically told the victims that he was in the military and deployed overseas so he could not meet the victims in person.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s statement, Nwadialo employed various tactics to convince his victims to transfer large sums of money. In one instance in 2020, he reportedly told a victim that he had been fined by the military for disclosing his location, a claim designed to elicit sympathy and financial support. The victim, believing the story to be true, ended up sending a substantial amount of money to help him pay the so-called "fine.”
Meanwhile, a second victim was contacted in 2019 to help move funds from U.S. accounts to accounts controlled by the defendant and his co-schemers.
“In this instance Nwadialo represented that he needed the help moving money in connection with his father’s death. The victim transferred at least $330,000 to the accounts controlled by the defendant,” Gorman said.
Gorman explained that a third victim was defrauded by Nwadialo when he told her that he was investing money for her.
“He claimed that a check she received from another victim was proceeds from her investments and he had her “reinvest” the money in a specific cryptocurrency account that he controlled. The victim transferred at least $270,000 at Nwadialo’s direction,” Gorman said.
According to the statement, in August 2020, Nwadialo defrauded another victim who he met on an online dating site and caused this victim to transfer at least $310,000 by claiming he needed financial assistance, including help paying for his father’s funeral or his son’s school tuition.
The fourteen counts of wire fraud relate to the communications with Nwadialo and the wiring of funds from victims to the defendant and his co-schemers. Gorman noted that wire fraud is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.
“The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” the statement said.
Gorman further stated that the FBI is investigating the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sok Jiang.
2 Nigerians extradited to US for sexual extortion, death of American citizen
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that two Nigerian youths, Imoleayo Samuel Aina, 26, and Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 24, have been extradited from Nigeria to the United States to face charges of sexual extortion and the death of a young man in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
According to the US Attorney, Jacqueline C. Romero, Aina could be sentenced to life imprisonment if found guilty, whereas Abiodun could receive a maximum of 40 years.