Samuel Ugberaese, a Nigerian man extradited to the United States over involvement in cross-border romance scams, is facing a potential 40-year prison sentence if convicted.
According to a statement from the US government, Ugberaese was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and another count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Authorities claim that Ugberaese and his co-conspirators used romance scam tactics, including false identities and fabricated stories, to deceive victims into sending money.
The indictment further stated that he worked with a co-defendant, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalised US citizen, to move illicit funds through a network of bank accounts linked to purported export companies in order to conceal the source and ownership of the proceeds.
The US government said the charges carry a statutory maximum penalty of 40 years in prison if he is convicted.
It also noted that multiple agencies, including the US Department of Justice’s, Office of International Affairs, FBI, South African Police Service, Nigerian authorities, and INTERPOL, assisted in securing his arrest and extradition.
In a separate statement, the Nigeria Police Force said a Federal High Court in Lagos approved Ugberaese’s extradition to the United States.
Police said the suspect was arrested on December 14, 2025, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos after arriving from South Africa.
Investigations showed that between 2014 and 2018, he and his accomplices allegedly ran a romance scam network targeting victims in the United States, particularly in North Carolina.
They created fake online identities and dating profiles to build emotional relationships with victims before defrauding them of large sums of money under false pretences.
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