The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina on Tuesday announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have arrested Samuel Ugberaese after he was extradited from Nigeria to the United States on charges relating to cross-border romance scams that targeted victims in the United States and elsewhere.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment in the Eastern District of North Carolina on January 22, 2021. United States Magistrate Judge Brian S. Myers ordered Ugberaese detained pending trial.
According to the indictment, Ugberaese and his co-conspirators used romance scheme techniques, including false stories and promises, to exploit and defraud victims into transferring money on their behalf.
The indictment further alleges that Ugberaese conspired with a co-defendant Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalized U.S. citizen, to conduct financial transactions through his bank account network, including accounts registered to purported export companies, to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the criminal proceeds.
Ugberaese is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, FBI’s Law Enforcement attaché office in Abuja, the Department of State, the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office of Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Force – INTERPOL, and the South African Police Service provided critical assistance securing the arrest and extradition of Ugberaese.
According to the statement on the extradition, “this case is being handled by the EDNC USAO’s Fraud Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig is prosecuting the case.”
The statement however noted that “an indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
