Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, has been sentenced to five years in a United States federal prison for masterminding a multi-million-dollar online romance scam that swindled victims out of more than $3.5 million.
The 42-year-old Nigerian was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright in Tacoma, Washington, who described the elaborate fraud scheme as “devastating,” citing its profound financial and emotional impact on victims.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, the court found that Nwadialo orchestrated a sophisticated operation that preyed on vulnerable individuals searching for companionship online, leaving many financially ruined and emotionally traumatised.
Judge Cartwright noted that beyond the monetary losses, the scheme inflicted lasting psychological damage, including “shame, depression, and isolation from their own family.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd condemned the convicted local government chairman for exploiting grieving and lonely individuals over a prolonged period.
“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.”
Also reacting to the conviction, FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Harrington said Nwadialo systematically targeted unsuspecting victims seeking genuine relationships.
“For years, Mr. Nwadialo preyed on vulnerable victims looking for relationships online, gained their trust, and told them lies to steal their life savings totalling millions of dollars.”
Prosecutors urged the court to impose a five-year prison sentence, arguing that the scale and consequences of the fraud warranted significant punishment.
In court filings, they stated:
“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’ for three years with Nwadialo’s fake online persona before learning the truth from the FBI. Another victim was a widow who thought she had found love again following her husband’s death. Instead, she lost her home and life savings and, even now, continues to suffer financially from the taxes, fees, and penalties she incurred from liquidating her accounts and home to help ‘Giovanni.’ Try as they might, those victims may never truly recover from Nwadialo’s conduct.”
Investigators revealed that Nwadialo created fake identities on dating platforms, including Match, Zoosk and Christian Café, frequently posing as a military officer named “Giovanni.”
Using the fabricated persona, he allegedly deceived victims into sending money for fictitious military penalties, family funerals, investment opportunities and other fabricated emergencies.
The FBI arrested Nwadialo at a Texas airport in 2024 shortly after he arrived in the United States. He was subsequently indicted on 14 counts of wire fraud.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sok Tea Jiang and David T. Martin, culminating in the conviction and sentencing of the embattled Anambra council chairman.
