Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, the recently elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA) in Anambra State, Nigeria, was detained on Friday upon arriving at an airport in Texas, United States, following an indictment in connection with a multimillion-dollar romantic fraud conspiracy.
The 40-year-old Nigerian national faces 14 counts of wire fraud for allegedly scamming victims of more than $3.3 million.
Nwadialo was travelling from Nigeria when he was apprehended and is scheduled to be brought to the Western District of Washington for arraignment. The allegations come from a conspiracy in which Nwadialo reportedly posed as a US military officer stationed overseas in order to defraud people he met on online dating sites such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café.
According to the December 2023 indictment, Nwadialo utilised several aliases, including the name ‘Giovanni’, and made up stories to induce people to transfer him money. He claimed to be in need of financial aid owing to military fines, family difficulties, and alleged failed investments. One victim was duped of $2.4 million after being informed that Nwadialo had been penalised by the military for disclosing his location.
U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman praised investigators’ tenacity in bringing Nwadialo to justice, noting that romance scam defendants are frequently difficult to apprehend because to their abroad location. “All too often, the defendants in these romance scams are overseas and unreachable by U.S. law enforcement,” according to her.
The FBI is investigating Nwadialo’s case, and if convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison per count. The arrest highlights the growing concern over international fraud schemes targeting vulnerable individuals online.
The charges are allegations, and Nwadialo is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Assistant United States Attorney Sok Jiang is prosecuting the case.
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