US extradites Nigerian to face romance fraud, money laundering charges

A Nigerian national, Samuel Ugberaese, has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to an alleged cross-border romance fraud and money laundering scheme targeting elderly victims.

Ugberaese was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after his extradition from Nigeria and has been arraigned before a U.S. Magistrate Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina. He was subsequently ordered to remain in custody pending trial.

According to a statement by the United States Department of Justice, a federal grand jury had earlier indicted Ugberaese in January 2021 over his alleged role in a fraud network that used romance scam tactics to deceive victims into sending money.

Prosecutors allege that Ugberaese and his co-conspirators employed false identities, emotional manipulation, and promises of relationships to exploit victims, many of whom were elderly.

The indictment further claims that he worked with a co-defendant, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, to move illicit funds through a network of bank accounts, including those linked to purported export businesses, in a bid to conceal the origin and ownership of the proceeds.

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 up to 40 years in prison.

The extradition followed a coordinated international effort involving the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI officials in Abuja, the U.S. Department of State, Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice, the Nigeria Police Force through INTERPOL, and the South African Police Service.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig.

Authorities noted that the charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.