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5 days ago
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- Internet fraud is expanding to worrisome heights successful caller years, contempt concerted efforts to clamp down connected specified activities
- A Nigerian known online arsenic 'tech queen' has been arrested and is acceptable to look prosecution for allegedly being portion of a multi-million dollar fraud
- The FBI has unveiled details of respective wealth laundering and frauds committed by the radical implicit immoderate years
Legit.ng writer Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has implicit a decennary of acquisition successful business reporting crossed integer and mainstream media.
A Nigerian tech enthusiast, Sapphire Egemasi, whitethorn soon look up to 20 years' imprisonment successful the United States of America for alleged engagement successful a fraud case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Egemasi for allegedly being progressive successful a large-scale fraudulent strategy and money laundering.
The strategy was alleged to person targeted aggregate authorities agencies successful the US and spanned astatine slightest 3 years.
Source: Getty Images
Innocent people each implicit the satellite person mislaid immense funds to the acts of fraudsters, and a caller study from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) shows that this whitethorn beryllium over $9.3 cardinal successful 2024.
Who is Sapphire Egemasi, aka 'tech queen'?
Sapphire Egemasi is simply a programmer who operates a Devpost relationship and is besides alleged to person been portion of a large-scale fraud syndicate.
Her past known code was reportedly successful Cambridge, United Kingdom, but the FBI theorised that she whitethorn person met and established ties with co-conspirators erstwhile she lived successful Ghana.
Egemasi is known online arsenic ‘tech queen’ and has maintained an enviable integer presence, particularly connected LinkedIn, wherever she showcased her skills nether the relationship sanction Chimemezu Sapphire Egemasi.
She besides regularly posted pictures of a luxurious manner and lavish vacations to antithetic countries, thing the FBI present alleges to person been funded by ill-gotten wealth.
Her illustration besides shows aggregate planetary roles with multinational companies similar Zara, H&M, and British Petroleum (BP).
Her LinkedIn profile besides shows a relation astatine AIESEC successful Ghana betwixt 2020 to 2021, and AIESEC successful Cross River State, Nigeria betwixt 2019 and 2020.
Nigeria’s tech queen arrested implicit alleged fraud
According to CABLE news, Egemasi and different members of the syndicate were arrested connected 10 April 2025 successful the Bronx, New York, on with the alleged person of the group, Samuel Kwadwo Osei.
A national expansive assemblage indictment filed successful 2024 charged the radical with aggregate counts of net fraud and wealth laundering for crimes said to person occurred betwixt September 2021 and February 2023.
They are being held successful national custody pending proceedings successful Lexington, Kentucky, and could look up to 20 years successful jail, dense fiscal penalties, and consequent deportation.
Source: UGC
FBI findings connected the multi-million dollar fraud
The radical was said to person conspired and defrauded the metropolis of Kentucky of millions of dollars, according to the FBI.
As the tech pb successful the group, Egemasi is alleged to person designed fake websites impersonating authoritative US authorities domains, utilizing them to bargain login credentials.
With this information, the radical facilitated the transfer of stolen funds from authorities accounts, wiring them into respective accounts they controlled.
There are SMS records showing that successful August 2022, the radical rerouted $965,000 stolen from Kentucky into a PNC Bank account, and different $330,000 into an relationship with Bank of America.
Another Nigerian to look 20 years' imprisonment
Note that the FBI besides arrested another Nigerian, Anas Said, for being the mastermind down a violent onslaught connected Nigerian soldiers successful Borno State.
The FBI alleged that helium was besides readying different onslaught successful Houston portion providing worldly enactment to ISIS.
FBI arrests Nigerian monarch for alleged fraud
In related news, a Nigerian monarch, Joseph Oloyede, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, has been detained by the FBI.
Oloyede and his associate, Edward Oluwasanmi, are being charged with conspiracy, ligament fraud, and wealth laundering for their roles successful a fraudulent COVID-19 alleviation scheme.
Legit.ng reported that the monarch’s lack for implicit a twelvemonth led to increasing unease successful his community, peculiarly arsenic helium missed large taste events, including the Egungun Festival and Edi Celebration.
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Source: Legit.ng
