Man arrested for ‘romance fraud’ scheme after stealing $3.3M from victims

SEATTLE, Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.

A Nigerian national was arrested 11 months after he was indicted for 14 counts of wire fraud connected to a “romance fraud” scheme he led in Western Washington.

Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, 40, was arrested when he arrived at an airport in Texas and was sent back to Western Washington — where these crimes took place — for his arraignment.

In total, Nwadialo allegedly defrauded victims of more than $3.3 million, according to the indictment and criminal complaint filed in the case.

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“All too often, the defendants in these romance scams are overseas and unreachable by U.S. law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said in a prepared statement. “I congratulate investigators who are alert to any opportunity to arrest such defendants and hold them accountable.”

Nwadialo allegedly used various versions of the name “Giovanni” when he met his victims. He met his victims exclusively online through dating websites and platforms including Match, Zoosk and Christian Café. According to the indictment, Nwadialo used false images on his profile and would typically tell the victims that he was in the military. Claiming he was deployed overseas so he would never have to meet the victims in person, he created various reasons to manipulate his victims into giving him money.

One victim told the U.S. Attorney’s Office that, in 2019, they transferred at least $330,000 to him after he claimed he needed help moving money in connection with his father’s death. In another instance in 2020, Nwadialo indicated he had been fined by the military for revealing his location to the victim, asking the victim to help him pay the $150,000 fine.

In all, that victim was defrauded of at least $2.4 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Washington.

An additional victim claimed they were defrauded in Aug. 2020 after transferring him at least $310,000 when he claimed he needed financial assistance. Nwadialo even stated he needed help paying for his father’s funeral or his son’s school tuition to get these funds.

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Another victim came forward and claimed Nwadialo told her he would invest her money for her, even showing her a check that he claimed was proceeds from her initial investment. After seeing the check, he told the victim to “reinvest” the money in a specific cryptocurrency account he specifically controlled. The check turned out to be money sent from another victim to Nwadialo.

In total, that specific victim transferred at least $270,000 to Nwadialo.

“The fourteen counts of wire fraud relate to the communications with Nwadialo and the wiring of funds from victims to the defendant and his co-schemers,” Gorman stated. “Wire fraud is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.”

The FBI is heading up the investigation into these cases.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.

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