Franklin Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, has been arrested in Texas, United States, for allegedly orchestrating a massive $3.3 million romance scam. The arrest was executed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) upon Nwadialo’s arrival in Texas, as announced by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in a statement on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old Nwadialo is facing serious legal repercussions, including a 14-count charge that could result in a 20-year prison sentence if he is found guilty. The DOJ has indicated that he will be transferred to the Western District of Washington for arraignment.
According to the indictment, Nwadialo utilized various aliases, specifically versions of the name “Giovanni,” to connect with victims on popular dating platforms such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. The indictment details that he employed false images in his profile and typically claimed to be a military personnel stationed overseas, which prevented him from meeting his victims in person.
The DOJ’s statement elaborates on the tactics used by Nwadialo: “Using these personas, Nwadialo invented many reasons for needing the victims to send him money.” A notable instance occurred in 2020 when he informed one victim that he had been fined by the military for disclosing his location. He requested the victim’s assistance in paying the staggering $150,000 fine, ultimately defrauding her of at least $2.4 million.
The indictment also highlights a second victim from 2019, whom Nwadialo contacted under the pretense of needing help to move funds from U.S. accounts to accounts controlled by him and his co-conspirators. “In this instance, Nwadialo claimed he needed help moving money in connection with his father’s death,” leading to a transfer of at least $330,000 to accounts he controlled.
Furthermore, a third victim was led to believe that Nwadialo was investing money on her behalf. He falsely claimed that a cheque she received from another victim was a return on her investments and convinced her to “reinvest” the funds into a specific cryptocurrency account that he managed, resulting in a transfer of at least $270,000.
In August 2020, Nwadialo allegedly defrauded yet another victim he met online, causing her to transfer at least $310,000 under the guise of needing financial assistance for his father’s funeral and his son’s school tuition.
The 14 counts of wire fraud stem from communications with Nwadialo, detailing the transfers of funds from his victims to him and his co-conspirators. The case is currently being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sok Jiang, as authorities continue to unravel the complexities of this alarming scam.
