Nigerian Man Arrested in Texas for $2 Million Romance Scam

U.S. authorities have apprehended Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, a 40-year-old Nigerian national, at a Texas airport.

Nwadialo is accused of orchestrating a multi-million-dollar romance fraud scheme, which has reportedly defrauded victims of over $3.3 million.

The arrest follows an indictment issued in December 2023 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington, charging him with 14 counts of wire fraud.

Nwadialo allegedly posed as a romantic partner under the alias 'Giovanni,' claiming to be a U.S. military member deployed overseas.

This deception was facilitated through online dating platforms such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café, where he used fake images and identities. According to U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman, "Using these personas, Nwadialo invented many reasons he needed the victims to send him money."

The fraudulent activities involved convincing victims to transfer funds under various pretenses, including paying fines, moving money, or making investments. In one instance, Nwadialo claimed he had been fined by the military for revealing his location and asked a victim to help pay a $150,000 fine.

Another victim was persuaded to transfer $330,000, believing it was related to Nwadialo's father's death.