Anambra LG Chairman Arrested in US Over Alleged $3.3m Romance Scam

Franklin Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, was arrested in Texas, USA, on charges related to a $3.3 million romance scam.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the 40-year-old was taken into custody by the FBI upon arriving in Texas and faces a 14-count charge.

He is expected to be transferred to the Western District of Washington for arraignment and could face a 20-year prison sentence if convicted.

The DOJ’s statement detailed that Nwadialo allegedly created fake profiles using the name “Giovanni” on dating sites like Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café.

He is accused of using these profiles to deceive women, telling them he was a military officer stationed overseas and unable to meet in person.

“According to the indictment, Nwadialo used various versions of the name ‘Giovanni’ when he met his victims online on websites such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. Nwadialo used false images for his profile and typically told the victims that he was in the military and deployed overseas, so he could not meet them in person,” the DOJ’s statement explained.

The DOJ provided specific examples of the alleged scams.

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In 2020, he reportedly convinced one victim to help pay a fictitious military fine of $150,000, resulting in her sending him a total of $2.4 million.

In another case, he allegedly told a second victim he needed assistance moving money related to his father’s death, leading her to transfer $330,000 to accounts he controlled.

The DOJ continued, “A third victim was defrauded by Nwadialo when he told her that he was investing money on her behalf.

He claimed that a cheque she received from another victim was proceeds from her investments, and he persuaded her to ‘reinvest’ the money in a specific cryptocurrency account that he controlled. The victim transferred at least $270,000 at Nwadialo’s direction.”

In August 2020, Nwadialo allegedly defrauded another victim he met on a dating site by claiming he needed financial assistance for his father’s funeral and his son’s school tuition, causing her to transfer at least $310,000 to him.

The 14 counts of wire fraud, according to the DOJ, “relate to communications with Nwadialo and the transfer of funds from victims to the defendant and his co-conspirators.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sok Jiang.