Nigerian pleads guilty to defrauding 150 Americans in $2.5m romance scheme

A 35-year-old Nigerian national, Olamide Shanu, has pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiracy to commit money laundering linked to international sextortion and romance fraud schemes that targeted about 150 Americans.

US prosecutors said Shanu made more than $2.5 million from the schemes, which caused millions of dollars in losses to victims.

According to court documents, Olamide Shanu and his co-conspirators targeted male victims in sextortion scams, persuading them to send sexual images before threatening to share the images with their friends and family unless they paid money.

In separate romance scams, the group allegedly used fake identities on social media to establish relationships with victims, often older men and women, before persuading them to send money for supposedly urgent needs.

The proceeds were allegedly laundered through peer-to-peer payment applications and cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.

“This case exposes a sophisticated international scheme that exploited Americans through sextortion and romance fraud, laundering millions in criminal proceeds,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“This prosecution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to holding cybercriminals accountable, no matter where they operate in the world,” said U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis for the District of Idaho.

Shanu was extradited from Nigeria to the United States and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

“This guilty plea is an important step toward justice for the victims harmed by this international scheme and reflects the Secret Service’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who use cyber-enabled fraud to target Americans,” said Assistant Director Brent Daniels of the U.S. Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations.

The U.S. Secret Service and Boise Police Department are investigating the case.