The newly elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, Franklin Nwadialo, has been apprehended in Texas, United States, for his alleged involvement in a $3.3 million romance scam targeting vulnerable individuals.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed in a statement on Tuesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation detained the 40-year-old politician as he arrived in Texas, marking a significant development in the case.
According to DOJ sources, Nwadialo will be transferred to the Western District of Washington for his upcoming arraignment, facing a 14-count indictment related to wire fraud. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
The DOJ’s statement details the alleged tactics Nwadialo used in the scheme, including creating fictitious online personas to deceive his victims.
The statement read, “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.”
Through these profiles, Nwadialo is accused of using false images to build trust, often posing as a military officer stationed abroad, claiming he was unable to meet in person due to his “deployment.”
This setup, the DOJ asserts, was a foundation for him to seek financial help from unsuspecting victims.
One victim, reportedly scammed in 2020, lost $2.4 million after Nwadialo convinced her he was fined by the military for disclosing his location.
“Using these personas, Nwadialo invented many reasons for needing the victims to send him money,” the DOJ further explained.
He allegedly told this victim that the military imposed a $150,000 fine on him, persuading her to cover the expense.
The DOJ’s investigation revealed similar tactics in other cases, including a second victim in 2019, whom he reportedly contacted for assistance in “moving funds” tied to his “father’s death.”
Believing his story, she transferred $330,000 to accounts controlled by Nwadialo and his associates.
The DOJ statement also sheds light on a third victim, whom Nwadialo allegedly defrauded under the pretense of investing money on her behalf.
As the DOJ detailed, “He claimed that a cheque she received from another victim was proceeds from her investments, and he persuaded her to ‘reinvest’ the money in a specific cryptocurrency account that he controlled.”
This deception led her to transfer $270,000 into an account managed by Nwadialo.
A fourth victim was allegedly conned by Nwadialo in 2020 when he requested financial help, citing reasons such as his father’s funeral costs and his son’s school fees. She ultimately transferred $310,000 at his insistence.
The 14 charges of wire fraud against Nwadialo, according to the DOJ, focus on various communications involving Nwadialo and the financial transfers to accounts under his control or those of his co-conspirators.
This high-stakes case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sok Jiang, with an emphasis on holding accountable those who exploit vulnerable individuals online.
