A Nigerian, Samuel Ugberaese, who was extradited to the United States by the Nigeria Police Force, risks 40 years’ imprisonment if found guilty of charges bordering on cross-border romance scams.
The US Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement on its website on Tuesday.
PUNCH Metro had reported on Thursday that the Nigeria Police Force extradited Ugberaese, also known as “Putsammy”, “Putput”, and “Sammy”, to the US to face charges of wire fraud, romance scam, and related financial crimes.
The Force had stated that the suspect was extradited following the conclusion of extradition proceedings and coordinated efforts between Nigerian and United States law enforcement authorities.
According to the Force spokesman, Anthony Placid, police investigations revealed that Ugberaese and his accomplices operated a criminal syndicate between 2014 and 2018 that targeted female victims in the United States, particularly within the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Giving an update on Tuesday, the US DoJ noted that Ugberaese was arrested by the FBI upon arriving in the country.
The statement noted that the suspect was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 22, 2021.
It stated that Ugberaese and his co-conspirators “used romance scam techniques, including false stories and promises, to exploit and defraud victims into transferring money on their behalf.”
The statement added that the indictment further alleged that Ugberaese conspired with a co-defendant, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalised US citizen, to conduct financial transactions through his bank account network, including accounts registered to purported export companies, to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the criminal proceeds.
It added that Ugberaese is facing one count bordering on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and may be sentenced to up to 40 years’ imprisonment if found guilty.
The statement continued, “Ugberaese is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.”
The statement, however, noted that Ugberaese is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
The US DoJ concluded by acknowledging the support of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation in the extradition of Ugberaese.
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