A United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Olamide Shanu, is facing the possibility of spending the next 20 years in a United States federal prison after being extradited on charges of fraud, extortion, and cybercrime.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed in a statement released on Thursday that the 34-year-old Lagos indigene was arraigned before a US Magistrate Court on Wednesday.
His arraignment followed his extradition to America to answer to an eight-count indictment.
According to US prosecutors, the charges against Shanu include wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit interstate communications with intent to extort, extortion, cyberstalking, and money laundering conspiracy.
The DoJ alleged that Shanu, alongside unnamed conspirators, carried out a sextortion scheme by posing as women on social media platforms.
They reportedly tricked unsuspecting men into sending explicit photos of themselves and later threatened to expose the images to family members and friends unless the victims paid money.
One of the victims mentioned in the indictment was a college student in Idaho, highlighting the widespread reach of the scheme.
The statement explained: “According to the indictment, Shanu and his conspirators posed as females on social media and persuaded their victims, typically males, to send sexual images of themselves.
Once the victims sent the explicit images, the conspirators threatened to share the content unless money was paid.
The scheme extorted numerous victims across the United States.”
Beyond sextortion, prosecutors claim Shanu and his team laundered the illicit proceeds through cryptocurrency wallets to conceal their tracks.
The total amount allegedly obtained from the schemes exceeded $2 million.
“If convicted, Shanu faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
He also risks restitution to cover the losses suffered by the victims,” the DoJ added.
The US government stressed that an indictment is not proof of guilt, noting that Shanu, like all defendants, remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case follows other high-profile fraud prosecutions involving Nigerians abroad.
In August, Punch Metro reported that a France-based Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, faced up to 47 years in jail after being extradited to the US.
He was accused of wire fraud, hacking, and identity theft linked to spear-phishing attacks on American tax preparation firms.
The DoJ says the ongoing prosecutions reflect its commitment to dismantling international cybercrime networks, which often rely on sophisticated online scams and cryptocurrency laundering.
For Shanu, the coming months will determine whether he spends decades behind bars or secures an acquittal.
Post Views: 26
