Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - A 35-year-old Nigerian national, Olamide Shanu, has pleaded guilty in the District of Idaho, United States to charges related to his role in several cyber-enabled schemes that defrauded approximately 150 American victims and caused millions of dollars in losses.
The United States Department of Justice disclosed this in a
statement on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
According to the statement, Shanu, who made more than
$2,500,000 from these fraud schemes, pleaded guilty on Monday.
He was extradited to the United Kingdom from the United
Kingdom in 2025.
“This case exposes a sophisticated international scheme that
exploited Americans through sextortion and romance fraud, laundering millions
in criminal proceeds,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the
Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Criminals, like Olamide Shanu, who prey on vulnerable
victims in this manner rob them of their savings and sense of decency. The
Criminal Division’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative was launched to confront
exactly these threats — dismantling networks like this and ensuring justice for
those harmed.”
“This prosecution demonstrates our unwavering commitment to
holding cybercriminals accountable, no matter where they operate in the world.
By securing the extradition of this defendant from Nigeria and bringing him to
justice for sextortion and other cyber-enabled fraud schemes, we are sending a
clear message that those who exploit victims and launder millions in illicit
proceeds will face serious consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis for
the District of Idaho.
“This guilty plea, involving more than $2.5 million in
laundered proceeds, reflects the dedicated efforts of our prosecutors and law
enforcement partners to disrupt international criminal networks, protect
victims, and ensure that cyber-enabled crime does not go unanswered.”
“Financially motivated s3xtortion is a heinous crime that
preys on fear, shame, and trust to exploit victims in deeply personal ways,”
said Assistant Director Brent Daniels of the U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS)
Office of Field Operations.
“This guilty plea is an important step toward justice for
the victims harmed by this international scheme and reflects the Secret
Service’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify,
investigate, and hold accountable those who use cyber-enabled fraud to target
Americans.”
According to court documents, Shanu and his
coconspirators participated in an international, financially motivated
sextortion, romance fraud, and money laundering scheme.
As part of the sextortion scheme, Shanu and his
co-conspirators typically targeted male victims, persuaded them to send s3xual
images of themselves, and then threatened to send the victim’s s3xual images to
the victim’s friends and family unless the victim made payments to the
co-conspirators.
Shanu and his co-conspirators engaged in this extortion
of numerous victims across the United States, including an individual located
in Idaho. In the romance scams, Shanu and his co-conspirators, using fake
identities on social media, made contacts with victims — typically older women
and men — and established deceptive emotional relationships.
The co-conspirators gained the victims’ trust, persuaded
the victims that they had a romantic future together and then convinced the
victims to send the co-conspirators money based on various purportedly urgent
needs for funds.
Proceeds from the schemes were laundered using
peer-to-peer payment applications and several cryptocurrency wallet addresses
before being transferred to the co-conspirators in Nigeria.
Shanu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money
laundering.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Decembee 15 and faces
a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any
sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory
factors.
The USSS 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 the case.
Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of
Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the State Department and the U.K.
authorities.
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