A Nigerian national, Franklin Nwadialo, has been sentenced to five years in prison in the United States for orchestrating a long-running online romance scam that defrauded victims of more than $3.5 million.
The sentence was handed down on Tuesday by the US District Court in Tacoma, Washington, according to a statement shared by the US authorities and posted on the official X account of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Wednesday.
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Mr Nwadialo, 42, was convicted on 14 counts of wire fraud linked to a romance fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals, many of them elderly, widowed or divorced.
He was arrested in Texas in 2024 upon his arrival in the United States after being indicted in December 2023.
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At the sentencing hearing, Judge Tiffany Cartwright described the crime as “devastating”, saying it had ruined lives beyond the financial losses suffered by victims.
“It is not an exaggeration to say it ruined lives, not only financial lives,” the judge said, citing the shame, depression and isolation experienced by many of the victims.
How the scheme worked
According to court records, Mr Nwadialo used various online aliases, including the name “Giovanni”, to establish relationships with victims on dating platforms such as Match, Zoosk and Christian Café.
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Prosecutors said he created fake profiles using stolen photographs and false personal information, often claiming to be a military officer deployed overseas.
After gaining the trust of victims, he allegedly fabricated emergencies and financial difficulties to persuade them to send money.
In one instance, prosecutors said he convinced a victim to send funds after claiming he had been fined $150,000 by the military for disclosing his location.
Authorities said he employed numerous other tactics, including claiming he needed money to cover funeral expenses for his father, pay his son’s school fees, or manage an inheritance linked to a deceased relative.
Severe losses
In court filings, prosecutors said the fraud scheme operated for more than 15 years and left some victims financially devastated.
One victim reportedly maintained an online relationship with Mr Nwadialo’s fictitious persona for three years before discovering the deception through an FBI investigation.
Another victim, a widow who believed she had found a new romantic partner after her husband’s death, reportedly lost her home and life savings after liquidating assets to support the scammer.
“This defendant preyed on those already suffering from the loss of loved ones or other heartbreak,” First Assistant US Attorney Charles Floyd said.
“For some 15 years he upended the lives of people he never met. 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.”
Similarly, FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge Mike Harrington said Mr Nwadialo exploited vulnerable individuals seeking companionship online.
“For years, Mr Nwadialo preyed on vulnerable victims looking for relationships online, gained their trust and told them lies to steal their life savings totalling millions of dollars,” he said.
The FBI investigated the case, while Assistant US Attorneys Sok Jiang and David Martin prosecuted it.
Growing scrutiny of Nigerians
Mr Nwadialo’s conviction is somewhat similar to that of Ayodeji Ajayi.
On Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) planned to deport another Nigerian, Mr Ajayi, over allegations of visa violations and multiple criminal convictions, including domestic violence, trespassing, intimidation and obstruction.
ICE said Mr Ajayi entered the United States on a student visa in 2007 but remained in the country after leaving school.
The report noted that the deportation forms part of the Donald Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement efforts targeting undocumented migrants and foreign nationals with criminal records.
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