Nigerian Man Defrauds 150 Americans of $2.5M in Romance, Sextortion Scam – FBI

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

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

According to court documents, Shanu and his co-conspirators targeted male victims through sextortion scams, allegedly persuading them to send sexually explicit images before threatening to distribute the material to their friends and relatives unless they paid money.

The group also allegedly operated romance scams, using fake identities on social media to establish relationships with victims, including older men and women, before convincing them to send money to meet purported urgent financial needs.

Prosecutors said the illicit proceeds were laundered through peer-to-peer payment platforms and cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division described the operation as a sophisticated international scheme that exploited Americans through sextortion and romance fraud.

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US Attorney for the District of Idaho, Bart M. Davis, said the prosecution demonstrated the commitment of American authorities to holding cybercriminals accountable regardless of where they operate.

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

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

Assistant Director Brent Daniels of the Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations said Shanu’s guilty plea represented an important step toward justice for victims of the scheme.