$2.5m Romance Scam: Nigerian Risks 40 Years Jail US

A Nigerian, Charles Nwadavid arrested upon his arrival to the US over romance scam allegations, now risks 40 years imprisonment and deportation.

Nwadavid, alleged to be involved in a $2.5m romance scam, a statement by the US Department of Justice has stated, arrived the US via a United Kingdom flight on Monday,

He had earlier been indicted in January 2024 on charges of mail fraud and money laundering, the statement published on the department’s website, stated.

“A Nigerian national has been charged for his alleged role in allegedly stealing more than $2.5 million from six romance scam victims and transferring their money to cryptocurrency accounts that he controlled.

“Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, 34, of Abuja, Nigeria, was arrested on April 7, 2025, after arriving on a flight from the United Kingdom to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

“In January 2024, a federal grand jury in Boston indicted Nwadavid on charges of mail fraud and money laundering.

“Nwadavid appeared in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 8, 2025, and was detained pending further proceedings. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.”

Thought the statement added that suspect is assumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court, it said he had allegedly perpetuated the romance scam between 2016 and 2019 and had concealed his role by using it to launder the proceeds of the fraud, the statement said.

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“Between in or about 2016 and September 2019, Nwadavid allegedly participated in romance scams that tricked victims into sending money abroad.

“In an effort to conceal his role as the recipient of the victims’ funds, Nwadavid allegedly used a victim from Massachusetts (Victim 1) to receive funds from five other victims around the United States.

“Nwadavid then allegedly tricked Victim 1 into passing her own and the other victims’ money to him through cryptocurrency transactions, and allegedly accessed accounts in Victim 1’s name from overseas, to transfer the victims’ funds to accounts he controlled at LocalBitcoins, an online cryptocurrency platform.”

“The mail fraud charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the loss to the victim, restitution and forfeiture.

According to the statement, “The money laundering charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the laundering transactions, restitution and forfeiture.

“The defendant will also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.