Nigerian Man Admits $2.5m Sextortion and Romance Fraud Scheme in US
Olamide Shanu, a 35-year-old Nigerian, has pleaded guilty in the United States to a sextortion and romance fraud scheme that defrauded 150 Americans of $2.5 million, according to Punch Nigeria. The available report does not provide details of the charges, victims, investigative process or sentencing.
Olamide Shanu, a 35-year-old Nigerian, has pleaded guilty in the United States to participating in a sextortion and romance fraud scheme that defrauded 150 Americans of $2.5 million, Punch Nigeria reported. The report identifies the case as involving two related forms of online fraud: romance fraud and sextortion. It does not provide details about how Shanu allegedly contacted the victims, how the scheme operated or the period over which the offences took place.
Sextortion generally refers to the use or threatened use of intimate material to obtain money or other demands, while romance fraud involves deceptive relationships used to induce victims to transfer funds. However, the supplied report does not describe the specific conduct alleged in this case. It also does not state the US court in which Shanu entered his plea, the precise charges to which he pleaded guilty, whether other people were involved or how the victims were identified.
No information is provided about the distribution of the alleged losses among the 150 people. The available material further gives no details about a sentencing date, possible punishment, restitution or any statement from Shanu, prosecutors or the victims. Punch Nigeria’s report links to its fuller coverage, but those details are not included in the supplied source material.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.