The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States has arrested chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA) in Anambra State Franklin Nwadialo over alleged $3.3 million romance scam.
Mr Nwadialo, 40, was taken into custody on arrival in Texas. He will be transferred to the Western District of Washington for arraignment.
In a statement, the US Justice Department said he faces a 14-count charge and risks a 20-year sentence if found guilty.
“According to the indictment, Nwadialo used various versions of the name ‘Giovanni’ when he met his victims online on websites such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café,” a statement by the department reads.
“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.
“Using these personas, Nwadialo invented many reasons he needed the victims to send him money.
“In one such case in 2020, he indicated he had been fined by the military for revealing his location to the victim. He asked the victim to help him pay the $150,000 fine. In all, that victim was defrauded of at least $2.4 million.”
The Justice Department cited another instance where the accused contacted a second victim in 2019 to help move funds from US accounts to accounts controlled by him 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,” the department stated.
“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.
“Finally, 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 14 counts of wire fraud relate to the communications with Nwadialo and the wiring of funds from victims to the defendant and his co-schemers.”
