UK-Based Nigerian Faces 20-Year US Jail Term Over $2m Sextortion, Fraud Scheme

A United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Olamide Shanu, has been extradited to the United States to face charges over an alleged $2 million internet fraud and sextortion ring.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), in a statement on Thursday, said the 34-year-old Lagos indigene appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Court on Wednesday after arriving from the UK. He was arraigned on an eight-count indictment that includes wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, money laundering conspiracy, extortion, and cyberstalking.

According to U.S. prosecutors, Shanu and his accomplices allegedly posed as women on social media platforms to lure victims mostly men into sharing explicit images. The suspects reportedly threatened to expose the material to friends and relatives unless the victims paid varying amounts of money.

The DoJ said the network allegedly extorted several Americans, including a college student in Idaho, and laundered the proceeds through cryptocurrency wallets. The scheme is believed to have generated at least $2 million.

If convicted, Shanu faces up to 20 years in federal prison, in addition to restitution to victims. The department stressed that the indictment is only an allegation and that Shanu remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt

The case adds to a series of U.S. prosecutions targeting cross-border internet scams involving Nigerians. In August, a France-based Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, was also extradited to the U.S. over alleged wire fraud and hacking linked to tax-preparation businesses.