Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, the recently elected leader of Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA) in Anambra State, Nigeria, was apprehended upon his arrival at a Texas airport in the United States on Friday. This was due to an indictment relating to a complex romance scam scheme that amounted to millions of dollars. The 40-year-old Nigerian citizen is facing 14 counts of wire fraud for his alleged involvement in defrauding victims of more than $3.3 million.
Nwadialo was taken into custody while traveling from Nigeria and will soon be transported to the Western District of Washington for arraignment. The charges against him are the result of his purported scheme, in which he pretended to be a deployed U.S. military officer in order to swindle individuals he met on online dating platforms like Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café.
As documented in the December 2023 indictment, Nwadialo used various false identities, including the name "Giovanni", and concocted stories to convince his victims to send him money. He claimed to need financial aid for military fines, family emergencies, or failed investments. One victim alone was cheated out of $2.4 million after being told that Nwadialo had been levied a fine by the military for revealing his location.
U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman praised the diligence of investigators in arresting Nwadialo, stating that romance scam suspects are often difficult to capture due to their whereabouts outside the country. "Too often, the perpetrators of these romance scams are overseas and beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement," she commented.
The FBI has been conducting an investigation into the case, and Nwadialo could face up to 20 years in prison for each count if convicted. His arrest is a stark reminder of the growing threat posed by international fraud schemes that prey on vulnerable individuals online.
It should be noted that these are allegations, and Nwadialo is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Assistant United States Attorney Sok Jiang is handling the prosecution of the case.
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