U.S. Court Jails Anambra Council Chairman for Five Years in $3.5m Online Romance Scam

The Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, has been sentenced to five years in a United States federal prison after being convicted for his role in an online romance fraud scheme that defrauded multiple victims of approximately $3.5 million.

Nwadialo, 42, was sentenced by the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, following his arrest by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at a Texas airport in 2024.

He had been indicted in December 2023 on 14 counts of wire fraud in connection with an elaborate online romance scam that targeted at least eight victims over several years.

During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright described the offences as "devastating," noting that beyond the financial losses, victims suffered profound emotional harm, including depression, shame and social isolation.

Announcing the sentence, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd condemned the nature of the scheme, saying the defendant deliberately preyed on emotionally vulnerable individuals.

"This defendant preyed on people already suffering from the loss of loved ones or other heartbreak. For some fifteen years, he upended the lives of people he never met," Floyd said.

According to prosecutors, Nwadialo and his co-conspirators fabricated elaborate stories to win the confidence of victims before persuading them to transfer large sums of money. In one instance, he allegedly claimed to operate a non-profit organisation supporting autistic children to further deceive victims.

"No scheme was too low for these conspirators," Floyd added.

Reacting to the conviction, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office, Mike Harrington, said the case demonstrates the agency's determination to pursue fraud suspects regardless of where the crimes originate.

Harrington said Nwadialo exploited people searching for companionship online before stealing their life savings.

"Fortunately, although he operated his romance scams from overseas, Mr. Nwadialo ultimately travelled to the United States, where he could be arrested and held accountable for his crimes in the Western District of Washington," he said.

Nwadialo was elected Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area on September 28, 2024, before his conviction in the United States.

Although the Anambra State Government has not publicly commented on the U.S. court's judgment, it has since appointed Kenneth Akwuobi to head the administration of Ogbaru Local Government Area, where council heads are officially designated as mayors.

The conviction adds to a growing list of international prosecutions involving online financial crimes and underscores ongoing efforts by U.S. law enforcement agencies to combat cross-border cyber fraud targeting vulnerable individuals.