A United States court has sentenced the Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, to five years imprisonment for orchestrating an online romance scam that defrauded victims of approximately $3.5 million.
Nwadialo, 42, was sentenced on Monday by the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, after being convicted for his role in a long-running fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals through fake online relationships.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by the United States Department of Justice, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced the sentencing, describing the crime as devastating to the victims.
Nwadialo was arrested by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at a Texas airport upon his arrival in the United States in 2024. He had earlier been indicted in December 2023 on 14 counts of wire fraud linked to the romance scam operation.
The Nigerian politician was elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area on September 28, 2024.
During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright condemned the impact of the fraud, saying it was “not an exaggeration to say it ruined lives—not only financial lives,” citing the emotional toll on victims, including shame, depression, and isolation from family members.
“This defendant preyed on those already suffering from the loss of loved ones or other heartbreak. For some 15 years, he upended the lives of people he never met,” Floyd said.“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. No scheme was too low for these conspirators,” he added.
Authorities said the fraud affected at least eight victims, resulting in losses estimated at $3.5 million.
