A 35-year-old Nigerian national, Olamide Shanu, has pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with international romance and sextortion fraud schemes that allegedly targeted about 150 Americans.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Shanu and his associates generated more than $2.5 million through the schemes, while victims suffered losses running into millions of dollars.
Court documents showed that the group operated different types of online fraud, including sextortion schemes targeting male victims.
In the sextortion scheme, the suspects allegedly established contact with victims and persuaded them to share sexually explicit photographs or videos. The victims were then threatened with having the materials sent to their friends, relatives or other contacts unless they paid money.
The group also allegedly operated romance scams using fake identities on social media platforms.
Through these false identities, the suspects reportedly developed romantic relationships with victims, including older men and women, before asking them for money to deal with supposed emergencies or other urgent financial needs.
US prosecutors said the criminal proceeds were moved through peer-to-peer payment platforms and cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to other members of the group in Nigeria.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division described the case as an international operation that exploited victims through sextortion and romance fraud while laundering millions of dollars in illicit proceeds.
“This case exposes a sophisticated international scheme that exploited Americans through sextortion and romance fraud, laundering millions in criminal proceeds,” Duva said.
US Attorney Bart M. Davis for the District of Idaho said the prosecution demonstrated the determination of American authorities to pursue cybercriminals regardless of where they operate.
Shanu was extradited from Nigeria to the United States to face the charges.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Assistant Director Brent Daniels of the US Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations said Shanu’s guilty plea represented an important step toward justice for the victims.
Daniels said the Secret Service would continue working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate cyber-enabled fraud and bring those responsible to justice.
The US Secret Service and the Boise Police Department are investigating the case.
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