Nigerian national Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a $3.5 million online romance scam that defrauded eight victims over 15 years.
The 42-year-old was sentenced late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright called the crime “devastating,” noting it “ruined lives—not only financial lives” but also caused “shame, depression, and isolation from their own family.”
Nwadialo, using aliases such as “Giovanni,” met victims on dating websites like Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. He employed false images and information, often claiming to be military personnel deployed overseas to avoid meeting in person. He fabricated numerous reasons for needing money, including military fines, his father's funeral, and his son's school tuition.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said Nwadialo “preyed on those already suffering from the loss of loved ones or other heartbreak.” W. Mike Harrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, added that Nwadialo “preyed on vulnerable victims looking for relationships online, gained their trust, and told them lies to steal their life savings totaling millions of dollars.” Prosecutors noted one victim lost her home and life savings.
Nwadialo was arrested at a Texas airport in 2024 upon his arrival in the U.S. He was indicted in December 2023 for 14 counts of wire fraud connected to his extensive scheme.