FBI Investigation Leads to Arrest of Anambra LG Chair Over $3.3 Million Romance Scam
The Anambra State government has initiated an investigation into a romance fraud case involving Franklin Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of the Ogbaru Local Government Area, who was recently apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Texas for allegedly orchestrating a $3.3 million scam targeting vulnerable women.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, the 40-year-old politician allegedly employed manipulated profile images to deceive his victims on various dating platforms including Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. The indictment details that Nwadialo often used variations of the name “Giovanni” when engaging with potential victims.
In many of these cases, Nwadialo claimed to be in the military and stationed overseas, which prevented him from meeting the victims in person. One notable incident from 2020 involved Nwadialo asserting he had been fined for disclosing his location. He requested the victim’s assistance in paying a fine of $150,000, from which the victim was ultimately defrauded of approximately $2.4 million. Additionally, he is accused of defrauding three other individuals of amounts totaling $330,000, $270,000, and $310,000, respectively.
The Department of Justice indicated that Nwadialo would face arraignment in the Western District of Washington, where he is charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, which carry a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
In response to the allegations, Anambra State’s Commissioner for Local Government, Community and Chieftaincy Affairs, Tonycollins Nwabunwanne, stated that the state administration is in the process of gathering information regarding the case. “We first heard about it online, and we are currently investigating to understand the actual situation before making any decisions,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, an anonymous senior member of the Anambra State House of Assembly suggested that Nwadialo’s deputy is likely to take over the role, in accordance with constitutional provisions, while awaiting official updates from authorities in the United States.
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