A Nigerian national, Samuel Ugberaese, has been extradited to the United States to face prosecution over an alleged international romance fraud and money laundering scheme said to have targeted elderly victims across the U.S. and other countries.
The extradition followed coordinated operations involving American and Nigerian law enforcement agencies, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ugberaese was arraigned before the U.S. District Court in North Carolina on charges bordering on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Authorities disclosed that a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina had earlier returned an indictment against the suspect on January 22, 2021.
According to court filings, Ugberaese and his alleged associates operated sophisticated romance scams in which victims were deceived through fictitious emotional relationships, fabricated stories, and false promises before being persuaded to transfer funds.
Prosecutors alleged that the suspect worked with co-defendant Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalised U.S. citizen, to move and conceal proceeds of the alleged fraud through a network of bank accounts, including accounts linked to purported export companies.
Investigators further claimed that the financial transactions were structured to conceal the origin, ownership, and movement of funds allegedly obtained from victims.
Ugberaese appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Brian S. Myers, who ordered that he remain in custody pending trial.
If convicted on both counts, the defendant could face up to 40 years imprisonment under U.S. federal law.
American authorities said the extradition process involved extensive international collaboration among several agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Department of State, the Nigeria Police Force through INTERPOL, Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney General, as well as the South African Police Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig of the Fraud Section in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
U.S. authorities, however, noted that the indictment remains an allegation and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.
