FBI arrests Anambra LGA chair over $3.3m scam
Franklin Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Texas, United States, on charges of orchestrating a $3.3 million romance scam. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Nwadialo faces a 14-count indictment and could face a 20-year prison sentence if found guilty.
The 40-year-old local government chairman was detained upon landing in Texas and subsequently transferred to the Western District of Washington, where he will be arraigned. The indictment accuses Nwadialo of using multiple aliases, such as “Giovanni,” to deceive victims on dating platforms, including Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. Posing as a deployed military officer, he used fake photographs and fabricated stories to manipulate victims emotionally and financially.
One significant case highlighted in the indictment involved Nwadialo claiming he was fined $150,000 by the military for disclosing his location to a victim he had been communicating with online. By playing on the victim’s sympathy, he was able to extort approximately $2.4 million from her.
Another victim was reportedly deceived in 2019 when Nwadialo persuaded her to help “transfer funds” from U.S. accounts to those under his control. Claiming the need to move money due to his father’s death, the victim sent around $330,000. A separate incident involved a victim whom Nwadialo tricked into a fraudulent investment scheme, convincing her to “reinvest” funds, resulting in the transfer of at least $270,000.
Further elaborating on his fraudulent tactics, the Department of Justice stated that Nwadialo manipulated another victim in August 2020 by claiming he required financial help for his father’s funeral and his son’s school tuition. This led to her transferring approximately $310,000.
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The charges filed against Nwadialo include multiple counts of wire fraud related to his communications with victims and the transfer of funds to himself and his accomplices. The U.S. government emphasized the grave consequences of online scams, particularly romance scams that prey on the emotional vulnerabilities of victims.
The case, which highlights the dangers of internet fraud, is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sok Jiang. The FBI’s arrest of Nwadialo underscores the ongoing commitment to combatting financial and romance scams, which often leave victims financially and emotionally devastated.
This arrest has drawn widespread attention, both locally and internationally, casting a spotlight on the challenges posed by cybercrime and online scams.
Written by Sakinat Musa Abubakar, Editor at Neptune Prime
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