By George Omagbemi
A 35-year-old Nigerian national, Olamide Shanu, has pleaded guilty in the United States to his role in cyber-enabled fraud schemes that targeted approximately 150 American victims and generated more than $2.5 million in proceeds.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the development on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, after Shanu entered his guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho.
According to court documents, Shanu and his co-conspirators operated sextortion and romance fraud schemes. In the sextortion operation, victims were persuaded to send sexual images before being threatened with exposure unless they paid money.
The romance fraud scheme involved the use of fake identities on social media to establish deceptive relationships with victims, who were then persuaded to send money for purported emergencies.
The proceeds were allegedly moved through peer-to-peer payment applications and cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.
Shanu, who was extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, 2026.
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