US Court Jails Anambra LG Chairman for Five Years Over $3.5M Romance Scam
A Nigerian local government chairman, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, has been sentenced to five years in a US prison for defrauding victims of over $3.5 million in an online romance scam. The FBI arrested him at a Texas airport after he arrived in the US in 2024. Nwadialo, elected as chairman of Ogbaru Local Government in September 2024, was indicted in December 2023 on 14 counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors say he preyed on vulnerable individuals by posing as a military officer named “Giovanni” and fabricating stories to win their trust. According to the Department of Justice, victims believed he served overseas and paid fines or funeral costs. Some lost their homes and life savings. US District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright described the scheme as devastating, noting the emotional and financial toll on the victims. The FBI and US prosecutors say Nwadialo operated these scams for 15 years before his arrest in the Western District of Washington.
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