Nigerian national admits role in $2.5 million sextortion and romance fraud in U.S.

A 35-year-old Nigerian national, Olamide Shanu, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District of Idaho to charges connected to his involvement in several cyber-enabled fraud operations that targeted roughly 150 victims in the United States and caused losses in the millions of dollars. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the plea in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. According to the department, Shanu obtained more than $2,500,000 from the schemes and entered his plea on Monday. The statement said he was extradited in 2025, with the United Kingdom mentioned in connection with the transfer. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said the case exposed a sophisticated international scheme that exploited Americans through sextortion and romance fraud and laundered millions in criminal proceeds. He said criminals like Shanu who prey on vulnerable victims in this way deprive them of their savings and sense of decency. Duva said the Criminal Division’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative was created to confront such threats, dismantle networks like this and secure justice for those harmed, and that the prosecution shows an unwavering commitment to holding cybercriminals accountable wherever they operate. U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis for the District of Idaho said that by obtaining Shanu’s extradition from Nigeria and bringing him to justice for sextortion and other cyber-enabled fraud schemes, authorities were sending a clear message that those who exploit victims and launder millions in illicit proceeds will face serious consequences. Davis said the guilty plea, which involved more than $2.5 million in laundered proceeds, reflected the work of prosecutors and law enforcement partners to disrupt international criminal networks, protect victims and ensure that cyber-enabled crime does not go unanswered. Assistant Director Brent Daniels of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Office of Field Operations said financially motivated sextortion is a heinous crime that preys on fear, shame and trust to exploit victims in deeply personal ways. He said the plea was an important step toward justice for victims of the international scheme and reflected the agency’s commitment to working with law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and hold accountable those who use cyber-enabled fraud to target Americans. Court documents state that Shanu and his co-conspirators took part in an international, financially motivated sextortion, romance fraud and money laundering scheme. In the sextortion operation, they typically targeted male victims, persuaded them to send sexual images and then threatened to share those images with the victims’ friends and family unless payments were made. They extorted numerous victims across the United States, including one person in Idaho. In the romance scams, the co-conspirators used fake social media identities to contact victims, usually older women and men, and built deceptive emotional relationships. They gained the victims’ trust, led them to believe they had a romantic future together and then convinced them to send money based on various supposedly urgent needs. Proceeds from the schemes were laundered through peer-to-peer payment apps and multiple crypto wallet addresses before being sent to co-conspirators in Nigeria. Shanu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will decide the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The U.S. Secret Service and the Boise Police Department are investigating the case. Senior Counsel Vasantha Rao of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Sean Mazorol for the District of Idaho are prosecuting. Substantial assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the State Department and U.K. authorities.