Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, aged 40, and the recently elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, Nigeria, was reportedly arrested by the FBI upon his arrival at a Texas airport. Nwadialo faces charges related to a multi-million-dollar romance scam allegedly totaling over $3.3 million.
According to the indictment by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Nwadialo was charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, stemming from allegations that he swindled victims out of approximately $2 million by posing as a romantic partner purportedly serving in the U.S. military. The scam involved using fake identities and misleading images on dating platforms such as Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café, where he presented himself as “Giovanni” and claimed he was deployed overseas
The arrest marks a significant development, as Nwadialo was apprehended while traveling from Nigeria and is now expected to be transferred to Washington for court proceedings. U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman highlighted the complexities of prosecuting such international fraud cases, praising the investigative team’s efforts to bring the suspect into custody.
“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 alert to any opportunity to arrest such defendants and hold them accountable
