₦airaland Forum

Anambra LG Chairman Sentenced to Five Years in U.S. Prison Over $3.5 Million Romance Scam

The Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, has been sentenced to five years in prison in the United States after being convicted for his role in an online romance fraud scheme that defrauded eight victims of more than $3.5 million.

The sentence was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd following proceedings before the U.S. District Court.

Nwadialo, 42, was arrested at an airport in Texas after arriving in the United States in 2024. He had earlier been indicted in December 2023 on 14 counts of wire fraud linked to a long-running romance scam operation.

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright described the crimes as “devastating,” noting that the victims suffered not only severe financial losses but also lasting emotional and psychological harm.

“It is not an exaggeration to say it ruined lives—not only financial lives,” the judge said, adding that many victims were left with shame, depression, and isolation from their families.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said Nwadialo deliberately targeted emotionally vulnerable individuals, many of whom had experienced the loss of loved ones or other personal tragedies.

“This defendant preyed on those already suffering from the loss of loved ones or other heartbreak. For some 15 years he upended the lives of people he never met,” Floyd said.

“He spun tale after tale to gain the victims' trust and their money—even claiming to run a non-profit providing services for autistic children. No scheme was too low for these conspirators.”

Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Seattle Field Office, W. Mike Harrington, said the conviction demonstrates that international fraudsters can still be brought to justice.

“For years, Mr. Nwadialo preyed on vulnerable victims looking for relationships online, gained their trust, and told them lies to steal their life savings totaling millions of dollars,” Harrington said.

According to court records, Nwadialo used different versions of the name “Giovanni” to create fake profiles on dating platforms, including Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café.

Investigators said he typically posed as a member of the military deployed overseas, using the story to explain why he could not meet victims in person.

He allegedly invented numerous emergencies to persuade victims to send him money.

In one instance, prosecutors said he convinced a victim to send $150,000 by claiming he had been fined by the military for revealing his location.

Authorities said he also claimed to need money for his father's funeral, his son's school fees, investment opportunities, and to facilitate access to funds linked to his late father.

According to prosecutors, one victim believed she was in a romantic relationship with Nwadialo's fake online persona for three years before learning the truth through an FBI investigation.

Another victim, a widow seeking companionship after the death of her husband, reportedly lost her home and life savings after liquidating her assets to send money to the suspect.

In court filings, prosecutors argued that many of the victims may never fully recover from the financial and emotional damage caused by the fraud scheme.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case, while Assistant United States Attorneys Sok Tea Jiang and David T. Martin prosecuted it.

Following the completion of his prison sentence, Nwadialo is expected to face further immigration proceedings in accordance with U.S. law.

Press Release

Nigerian national sentenced to five years in prison for $3.5 million romance scam

Defendant engaged in online fraud for 15 years

Seattle – A 42-year-old Nigerian national was sentenced late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to five years in prison for his scheme to steal some $3.5 million from eight different victims via an online romance scam, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo was arrested at an airport in Texas upon his arrival in the U.S. in 2024. He was indicted in December 2023 for 14 counts of wire fraud connected to his romance fraud scheme. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright called the crime “devastating,” noting that it is “not an exaggeration to say it ruined lives—not only financial lives” but also from the nonmonetary harms the victims endured, such as “shame, depression, and isolation from their own family.”

Gotocourt:
Next Incoming Governor of Anambra

IamAtAnger:
Hahaaaahaha 🤣😅🤣 dunno why I find this so funny

Mattswaggz:
Why won't the country be backward when almost all those in leadership positions are bl**dy criminals!!!....and a good amount of the citizens have joined the fray....at this rate, Nigeria will soon be a pariah state in the world by the time everyone is tired of this madness and ban Nigerians from their country.

PigTormentor:
The citizens didn't join thr fray, you have it backward.
The leaders are just a microcosm of the citizenry. 95 percent of Nigerians are already into the frau already. The ones that are not into is simply because they do not ha e the means to join.
Your leadership is a sample of the rest of the country.

Tenses:
Soludo has brought back the impunity, radcality and corruption Mr. Peter Obi eradicated in Anambra state.

PigTormentor:
The citizens didn't join thr fray, you have it backward.
The leaders are just a microcosm of the citizenry. 95 percent of Nigerians are already into the frau already. The ones that are not into is simply because they do not ha e the means to join.
Your leadership is a sample of the rest of the country.