Idaho, US: A 35-year-old Nigerian national has pleaded guilty in the United States to money laundering linked to an international cyber-enabled fraud network that allegedly targeted around 150 Americans through sextortion and romance scams.
Olamide Shanu pleaded guilty in the District of Idaho to conspiracy to commit money laundering after allegedly helping operate schemes that generated more than $2.5 million in illicit proceeds.
According to court documents, Shanu and his co-conspirators used different tactics to manipulate victims and extract money from them.
In the sextortion scheme, the group typically targeted men and persuaded them to share intimate images. The victims were then threatened with having those images sent to their friends and family unless they paid money.
The group also allegedly operated romance scams targeting older men and women. Using fake identities on social media, the fraudsters built emotional relationships with victims and convinced them that they had a genuine romantic future together. They later asked victims to send money, often citing urgent or fabricated financial needs.
The money obtained through the schemes was allegedly moved through peer-to-peer payment applications and cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.
The case also involved victims across multiple parts of the US, including at least one victim in Idaho.
Shanu was extradited from Nigeria to the United States to face the charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The final sentence will be determined by a federal court after considering the applicable sentencing guidelines and other factors.
The US Secret Service and Boise Police Department investigated the case, with prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and the District of Idaho handling the prosecution.
The case is part of the Justice Department’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative, which focuses on identifying international networks that use technology to defraud Americans, tracing their financial proceeds and pursuing those responsible.
The case highlights how scammers can combine emotional manipulation, intimate-image threats, social media deception and cryptocurrency transfers to target victims and move stolen funds across borders.
