A 35-year-old Nigerian, Olamide Shanu, has pleaded guilty in the United States over his alleged involvement in a sprawling sextortion and romance fraud operation that prosecutors said fleeced about 150 Americans of more than $2.5m.
Olamide Shanu entered the guilty plea on Monday before the US District Court for the District of Idaho, according to the US Department of Justice.
Prosecutors said Shanu and his co-conspirators operated schemes targeting victims across the United States, using sexual blackmail and fake romantic relationships to extract money.
In the sextortion operation, the suspects allegedly lured male victims into sending sexually explicit images.
The victims were then threatened with exposure, with the scammers allegedly warning that the images would be sent to their friends, relatives and other contacts unless money was paid.
But the operation did not stop there.
According to court documents, the gang also targeted older men and women through romance scams, allegedly creating fake identities on social media and building emotional relationships with unsuspecting victims.
After gaining their trust, the fraudsters allegedly painted a picture of a romantic future before demanding money for supposed emergencies and other urgent financial needs.
US authorities said the proceeds were moved through peer-to-peer payment platforms and multiple cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division described the case as an international scheme that allegedly exploited victims through sextortion and romance fraud while laundering millions of dollars.
The US Attorney for the District of Idaho, Bart M. Davis, said the guilty plea showed that American authorities would pursue cybercrime networks regardless of where their members operated.
The case was investigated by the US Secret Service and Boise Police Department.
Shanu is due to be sentenced on December 15 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the money-laundering conspiracy charge.
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