A Nigerian, Samuel Ugberaese, has been extradited to the United States to face charges bordering on alleged wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy linked to a cross-border romance scam that reportedly targeted elderly victims.

Ugberaese was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after his extradition from Nigeria to the United States. He was subsequently arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Brian Myers in the Eastern District of North Carolina, who ordered that he remain in detention pending trial.

According to a federal indictment returned on January 22, 2021, Ugberaese and his alleged co-conspirators used romance scam tactics, including false identities, fabricated stories and fake promises, to manipulate victims into transferring money on their behalf.

The indictment further alleged that Ugberaese conspired with co-defendant Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalised United States citizen, to move funds through a network of bank accounts, including accounts registered to purported export companies, in a bid to conceal the source, ownership and control of proceeds allegedly obtained from the fraudulent scheme.

Ugberaese is facing one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment under United States law.

Authorities said several agencies played roles in securing his arrest and extradition, including the United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Law Enforcement Attaché Office in Abuja, the United States Department of State, Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney General, the Nigeria Police Force through INTERPOL, and the South African Police Service.

Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hulbig of the Eastern District of North Carolina’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case. United States authorities, however, noted that the indictment remains an allegation and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.