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 fraud and sextortion schemes that targeted about 150 Americans.
According to the US Department of Justice, Shanu made more than $2.5 million from the schemes, which caused millions of dollars in losses to victims.
Court documents said Shanu and his co-conspirators targeted male victims through sextortion schemes. The victims were persuaded to send sexual images of themselves and were subsequently threatened with having the images shared with their friends and family unless they made payments.
The group also allegedly operated romance scams using fake identities on social media. The scammers typically targeted older men and women, developed deceptive emotional relationships with them and eventually persuaded them to send money for supposedly urgent financial needs.
The proceeds were allegedly laundered through peer-to-peer payment applications and cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.
“This case exposes a sophisticated international scheme that exploited Americans through sextortion and romance fraud, laundering millions in criminal proceeds,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Duva said the department’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative was created to tackle such criminal networks and bring those responsible to justice.
“This prosecution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to holding cybercriminals accountable, no matter where they operate in the world. By securing the extradition of this defendant from Nigeria and bringing him to justice for sextortion and other cyber-enabled fraud schemes, we are sending a clear message that those who exploit victims and launder millions in illicit proceeds will face serious consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis for the District of Idaho.
“This guilty plea, involving more than $2.5 million in laundered proceeds, reflects the dedicated efforts of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners to disrupt international criminal networks, protect victims, and ensure that cyber-enabled crime does not go unanswered,” Davis added.
Defendant extradited from Nigeria
Shanu was extradited from Nigeria to the United States before entering his guilty plea.
US authorities said the case involved cooperation between the Department of Justice, the US Secret Service and the Boise Police Department, alongside other international partners.
“This guilty plea is an important step toward justice for the victims harmed by this international scheme and reflects the Secret Service’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who use cyber-enabled fraud to target Americans,” said Assistant Director Brent Daniels of the US Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations.
Shanu faces up to 20 years in prison
Shanu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15.
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the eventual sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other applicable factors.
The US Secret Service and Boise Police Department are continuing their investigation into the schemes.
The case forms part of the Justice Department’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative, which focuses on investigating international networks involved in online fraud, cybercrime and related financial offences.
