A Nigerian national, Samuel Ugberaese, has been extradited to the United States to face prosecution over alleged international romance fraud and money laundering schemes said to have targeted elderly victims.
The extradition followed coordinated operations involving law enforcement agencies in both Nigeria and the United States, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice.
Ugberaese was arrested by the FBI after being transferred from Nigeria to the United States, where he is facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering before the U.S. District Court in North Carolina.
Authorities said a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina had earlier returned an indictment against him on January 22, 2021.
Court documents alleged that Ugberaese and his co-conspirators ran elaborate romance scams, targeting victims through fake online relationships and emotional manipulation designed to induce financial transfers.
Prosecutors further alleged that he worked with a co-defendant, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalised U.S. citizen, to move and conceal proceeds of the alleged fraud through multiple bank accounts linked to supposed export businesses.
Investigators said the financial transactions were structured in a way intended to hide the origin, ownership, and movement of funds allegedly obtained from victims.
Ugberaese appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian S. Myers, who ordered that he remain in custody pending trial.
If found guilty on both counts, he could face up to 40 years in prison under U.S. federal law.
American authorities said the extradition involved extensive inter-agency cooperation, including the FBI, the U.S. Department of State, the Nigeria Police Force through INTERPOL, Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney General, as well as the South African Police Service.
Prosecutors noted that the indictment represents an allegation only, stressing that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
