A Nigerian national, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, has been sentenced to five years in prison in the United States for masterminding a romance scam that swindled multiple victims out of more than $3.5m.
Nwadialo, 42, was sentenced by a US District Court in Tacoma, Washington, after he was found guilty in connection with a long-running online fraud operation that targeted vulnerable individuals through dating platforms.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, the convict was arrested at an airport in Texas after arriving in the US in 2024 and was subsequently charged with 14 counts of wire fraud.
Delivering judgment, US District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright described the impact of the crimes as far-reaching, noting that the victims suffered emotional and psychological trauma in addition to financial losses.
The judge said the offences had “devastating” consequences, adding that they had caused victims shame, depression and estrangement from family members.
Prosecutors disclosed that Nwadialo spent about 15 years creating fake online identities and posing as a romantic partner to deceive unsuspecting victims. They said he primarily targeted elderly individuals, including widows and divorcees, whom he manipulated into sending money under false pretences.
Commenting on the conviction, First Assistant US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said the defendant exploited people who were already grappling with grief and emotional distress.
“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.
Court documents showed that Nwadialo used several aliases, including “Giovanni,” on dating sites such as Match, Zoosk and Christian Café. Investigators said he relied on stolen photographs and fabricated personal information, often claiming to be a military officer deployed overseas to explain his inability to meet victims physically.
Authorities said he employed various schemes to obtain money, including claims that he had been fined $150,000 by the military for disclosing his location. In other instances, he allegedly solicited funds for his father’s funeral, his son’s school fees and purported investment opportunities.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the suspect carefully cultivated trust with victims before exploiting them financially.
“For years, Mr. Nwadialo preyed on vulnerable victims looking for relationships online, gained their trust, and told them lies to steal their life savings totaling millions of dollars,” said W. Mike Harrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office.
Prosecutors told the court that the scam left several victims financially ruined and emotionally devastated.
According to court filings, one woman believed she was in a genuine relationship with Nwadialo’s online persona for three years before discovering the deception through an FBI investigation.
Another victim, a widow, reportedly lost her home and exhausted her life savings after selling off assets to send money to the fraudster and continues to struggle with the consequences of the losses.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sok Tea Jiang and David T. Martin.
