The Federal Bureau of Investigations, FBI, has announced the arrest of the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, Franklin Nwadialo.
The US Department of Justice confirmed, in a statement, that Nwadialo was arrested in Texas, for alleged $3.3m romance scam, adding that he is facing a 14-count charge and risks 20 years in prison if found guilty.
The 40-year-old LGA chairman who was nabbed on arrival in Texas has since been transferred to the Western District of Washington for arraignment.
“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,” the statement 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.”
In another instance cited by the US Department of Justice, the accused reportedly contacted a second victim in 2019 to help move funds from the United States accounts to accounts controlled by him and his co-scammers.
“In this instance,” the department continued in the statement, “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.
“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.”
The case is being prosecuted by Sok Jiang, an assistant United States attorney.