US Court Sentences Anambra LG Chairman to Five Years for $3.5 Million Romance Scam
A 42-year-old Nigerian national, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, who serves as the chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, has been sentenced to five years in prison in the United States for orchestrating an online romance scam that defrauded eight victims of approximately $3.5 million. Nwadialo was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at a Texas airport upon his arrival in the U.S. in 2024, shortly after being elected as LG chairman on September 28, 2024.
Details of the Sentencing
The sentencing took place on Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Washington, before Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced the sentence in a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Nwadialo had been indicted in December 2023 on 14 counts of wire fraud related to his romance fraud scheme.
During the hearing, Judge Cartwright described the crime as “devastating,” stating that “it is not an exaggeration to say it ruined lives—not only financial lives” but also caused nonmonetary harms such as “shame, depression, and isolation from their own family.”
Prosecutors’ Remarks
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd condemned Nwadialo’s actions: “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. He spun tale after tale to gain the victims’ trust and their money – even claiming to run a non-profit providing services for autistic children. No scheme was too low for these conspirators.”
W. Mike Harrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, added: “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. Fortunately, although he operated his romance scams from overseas, Mr. Nwadialo ultimately traveled to the United States where he could be arrested and held accountable for his crimes here in the Western District of Washington.”
How the Scam Operated
According to court records, Nwadialo used various versions of the name “Giovanni” when meeting victims on dating websites such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. He employed false images and information for his profiles, typically claiming to be in the military and deployed overseas to avoid in-person meetings. Using these personas, he invented numerous reasons to request money from victims. In one instance, he told a victim he had been fined $150,000 by the military for revealing his location and asked for help paying the fine.
Nwadialo targeted older individuals, often widowed or divorced. He told one victim he needed help moving money related to his father’s death, claimed to be investing money for another, and sought financial assistance for his father’s funeral or his son’s school tuition.
Impact on Victims
Prosecutors argued for a five-year sentence, stating: “Nwadialo’s offense was extremely serious and caused significant harm. For over 15 years, he and his confederates manipulated older, often widowed or divorced, individuals with savings into believing they had serious romantic partners for their own financial benefit.” One victim was in a “relationship” with Nwadialo’s fake persona for three years before learning the truth from the FBI. Another victim, a widow who thought she had found love again, lost her home and life savings and continues to suffer from taxes, fees, and penalties incurred from liquidating accounts to help “Giovanni.” Prosecutors noted that these victims may never fully recover from Nwadialo’s conduct.
The case was investigated by the FBI.
