The United States has commenced prosecution of a Nigerian man, Olamide Shanu, who was extradited from the United Kingdom over allegations of involvement in cyber-enabled fraud schemes, including sextortion, romance scams, and wire fraud, through which he allegedly obtained at least $2 million.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Shanu, 34, of Lagos, made his first court appearance on Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham in the District of Idaho.
Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott confirmed the development in a statement last week.
Shanu faces an eight-count indictment that includes wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit interstate communications with intent to extort, cyberstalking, extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and related charges.
Court filings allege that Shanu and his accomplices created fake female profiles on social media to lure men into sharing explicit images.
Once obtained, the images were allegedly used to blackmail victims with threats of exposure to friends and relatives unless payments were made.
Investigators say the group also ran romance scams, laundering illicit proceeds through peer-to-peer platforms and cryptocurrency wallets before transferring funds to Nigeria.
Victims were said to include individuals across the U.S., among them a college student in Idaho.
Shanu was arrested in London on November 7, 2023, following the Idaho indictment, and had been in custody in the UK until his extradition. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison, along with possible restitution payments to victims.
Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott praised the cooperation of international partners, including the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the State Department, and the UK’s National Crime Agency, for facilitating the extradition.
“We are grateful for the international cooperation that brought the defendant before justice,” Whatcott said.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Sean Mazorol, along with Vasantha Rao of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
Prosecutors stressed that the indictment remains an allegation and that Shanu, like all defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.