U.S. Court Indicts Nigerian Tochukwu Nwaneri Over Alleged $20 Million Fraud

A United States federal court has indicted a Nigerian national, Tochukwu Nwaneri, over his alleged role in a large-scale fraud scheme involving more than $20 million.

Nwaneri was charged alongside an American associate, Vickie Smith, following investigations into an advance-fee loan operation that reportedly targeted a business owner based in Idaho.

According to U.S. prosecutors, the defendants falsely presented themselves as intermediaries capable of securing a $140 million business loan for the victim through a supposed Singapore-based lender.

Investigators said the loan offer was entirely fictitious and used as bait to extract significant upfront payments from the victim under the guise of processing, legal, and facilitation fees.

Rather than arranging any legitimate financing, authorities allege that Nwaneri and Smith diverted the funds for personal use, including luxury expenses, transfers to family members, and deposits into offshore bank accounts.

Court records show that Nwaneri, 51, made his first appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge on Wednesday, while his co-defendant, Smith, 66, appeared in court earlier in October.

Both defendants are facing multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions involving proceeds of unlawful activity.

If convicted on all counts, they could face lengthy prison terms, with sentencing to be determined by the court at a later date, as the case continues through the U.S. judicial process.