The Nigerian Government has extradited its citizen, one Samuel Ugberaese to the United States of America, over charges relating to cross-border romance scams that targeted victims in the United States and elsewhere.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, immediately arrested the suspect after the extradition.
Ugberaese and his co-conspirators had reportedly used romance scheme techniques, including false stories and promises, to exploit and defraud victims into transferring money on their behalf.
A statement on Wednesday from United States Attorney, W. Ellis Boyle, with the United States Department of Justice, said a federal grand jury returned the indictment in the Eastern District of North Carolina, with U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian S. Myers of the Eastern District of North Carolina ordering that Ugberaese be detained pending trial.
The statement said the indictment further alleges that Ugberaese conspired with a co-defendant, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalized U.S. citizen, to conduct financial transactions through his bank account network, including accounts registered to purported export companies, to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the criminal proceeds.
“Ugberaese is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
“The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, FBI’s Law Enforcement Attaché Office in Abuja, the Department of State, the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office of Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Force – INTERPOL, and the South African Police Service provided critical assistance securing the arrest and extradition of Ugberaese,” the statement disclosed.
