By Peace Udugba
RALEIGH, N.C. – The FBI has arrested Samuel Ugberaese following his extradition from Nigeria to the United States to face charges connected to a cross-border romance fraud scheme that allegedly targeted victims in the United States and other countries.
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina returned an indictment against Ugberaese on January 22, 2021. United States Magistrate Judge Brian S. Myers ordered that he be detained pending trial.
According to the indictment, Ugberaese and his co-conspirators allegedly used romance scam tactics, including false identities and fabricated personal stories, to deceive victims and induce them into sending money. Prosecutors further allege that he worked with co-defendant Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalized U.S. citizen, to move illicit funds through a network of bank accounts linked to purported export businesses. These transactions were allegedly designed to conceal the source, ownership, and control of the proceeds of the scheme.
Ugberaese faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 40 years in prison.
Multiple agencies assisted in securing the arrest and extradition, including the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Abuja, the U.S. Department of State, the Nigerian Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office, the Nigeria Police Force – INTERPOL, and the South African Police Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig of the Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
