Nigerian national Samuel Ugberaese has been extradited to the United States to face charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy in connection with a cross-border romance fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims.
The FBI arrested Ugberaese following his extradition from Nigeria, stemming from a federal grand jury indictment returned 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 co-conspirators allegedly used false stories and promises to defraud victims into transferring money. He is also accused of conspiring with Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule to conduct financial transactions through a network of bank accounts, including those registered to purported export companies, to conceal the criminal proceeds.
Ugberaese faces a statutory maximum penalty of 40 years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and several international law enforcement agencies provided critical assistance in his arrest and extradition. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.