The newly elected Chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, Franklin Nwadialo has been arrested in the United States over alleged investment in live scam.

He was arrested at an airport in Texas, United States after an indictment was filed against him in the Western District of Washington.

According to the the U.S. Justice Department, Nwadialo was indicted in December 2023 on 14 counts of wire fraud in connection with an elaborate romance fraud scheme that defrauded multiple victims of millions of dollars.

He was arrested while traveling from Nigeria and will be transported to the Western District of Washington for his arraignment.

“All too often, the defendants in these romance scams are overseas and unreachable by U.S. law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.

“I congratulate investigators who are always alert to any opportunity to arrest such defendants and hold them accountable.”

According to the indictment and criminal complaint filed in the case, Nwadialo allegedly defrauded victims out of more than $3.3 million through his scheme.

The indictment details how Nwadialo used various versions of the name “Giovanni” when he met victims on online dating websites, such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café.

He created fraudulent profiles using fake images and posed as a U.S. military member deployed overseas, claiming that he could not meet the victims in person.

Under these false pretences, Nwadialo fabricated multiple reasons why he needed money from his victims.

In one instance, in 2020, he allegedly told a victim that he had been fined by the military for revealing his location to the victim, requesting $150,000 to cover the fine. The victim was eventually defrauded of at least $2.4 million.

Another victim, contacted in 2019, was asked by Nwadialo to help transfer funds from U.S. accounts to those controlled by him and his co-conspirators.

He falsely claimed that the money was needed in connection with his father’s death. The victim transferred at least $330,000 to accounts controlled by Nwadialo.

A third victim was tricked by Nwadialo, who claimed that he was investing money on her behalf.

He told the victim that a cheque she had received from another person was the proceeds from her investments and convinced her to “reinvest” the money into a cryptocurrency account that he controlled. The victim transferred at least $270,000 as directed by Nwadialo.

In August 2020, Nwadialo defrauded yet another victim whom he met on an online dating platform. He convinced the victim to transfer at least $310,000 by claiming he needed financial assistance for various personal expenses, including paying for his father’s funeral or covering his son’s school tuition.

The 14 counts of wire fraud relate to the communications Nwadialo had with these victims and the wiring of funds from the victims to Nwadialo and his co-conspirators.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.