Nigerian Pleads Guilty In US Over $2.5m Sextortion, Romance Scam Targeting 150 Americans

A 35-year-old Nigerian, Olamide Shanu, has pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiracy to commit money laundering after being linked to sextortion and romance fraud schemes that allegedly defrauded about 150 Americans of more than $2.5 million.

Shanu entered his guilty plea on Monday in the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, according to the US Department of Justice.

The department said Shanu and his co-conspirators operated schemes that targeted victims across the United States, using deceptive online relationships and threats involving sexually explicit images to obtain money.

In the sextortion scheme, the conspirators allegedly targeted male victims and persuaded them to send intimate images. They subsequently threatened to distribute the images to the victims’ friends and relatives unless payments were made.

The group also allegedly targeted older men and women through romance scams, creating fake identities on social media and cultivating deceptive emotional relationships with victims.

According to court documents, the conspirators gained the victims’ trust, convinced them that they had a romantic future together and subsequently demanded money, often citing fabricated urgent financial needs.

US prosecutors said proceeds from the alleged schemes were moved through peer-to-peer payment platforms and several cryptocurrency wallet addresses before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.

Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, A. Tysen Duva, described the case as an example of an international operation that exploited victims through sextortion and romance fraud while laundering millions of dollars in proceeds.

Duva said the department’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative was established to combat such schemes and pursue those responsible.

The US Attorney for the District of Idaho, Bart M. Davis, said Shanu’s guilty plea reflected efforts by US authorities to prosecute cyber-enabled crimes involving international criminal networks.

“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 said.

The US Secret Service and Boise Police Department investigated the case.

Shanu is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.