A Nigerian tech enthusiast, Sapphire Egemasi, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a multi-million dollar fraud scheme targeting several US government agencies.
Egemasi was taken into custody in April in the Bronx, New York, alongside others including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who authorities say is the ringleader of the syndicate.
The arrests stem from a federal grand jury indictment filed in 2024. The group faces multiple charges, including internet fraud and money laundering, for alleged crimes committed between September 2021 and February 2023.
According to investigators, the syndicate defrauded the city of Kentucky of millions of dollars. Egemasi is accused of building fake websites that mimicked official US government platforms to steal login credentials and help move stolen funds.
Text message evidence reveals that in August 2022, the group rerouted $965,000 into a PNC Bank account. Another $330,000 was allegedly transferred into a Bank of America account during the same period.
Egemasi and the co-accused are currently in federal custody in Lexington, Kentucky, awaiting trial.
If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison, hefty fines, and deportation to her home country after completing her sentence.