Franklin Nwadialo, the recently elected chairman of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State, has been apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Texas, United States, for his alleged involvement in a $3.3 million romance scam targeting vulnerable women. The 40-year-old was detained upon his arrival in Texas and now faces a 14-count charge of wire fraud, which could lead to a 20-year prison sentence if convicted.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) detailed that Nwadialo used false identities and images, often portraying himself as “Giovanni,” a military officer deployed overseas, to gain his victims’ trust on dating platforms like Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café. Under this guise, he fabricated various reasons to solicit financial support from his victims.

In one instance from 2020, Nwadialo allegedly deceived a woman into sending him $2.4 million, claiming he needed help paying a $150,000 fine imposed by the military for disclosing his location. Another victim in 2019 reportedly transferred $330,000 to accounts controlled by Nwadialo, under the pretext that he needed help managing funds related to his father’s death.

According to the DOJ, Nwadialo also persuaded a third victim to “reinvest” $270,000 in a cryptocurrency account under his control by claiming it was part of her investment returns. In a final known case, he convinced another victim to send $310,000 for reasons that included funding his father’s funeral and his son’s school fees.

The DOJ stated, “The 14 counts of wire fraud relate to communications with Nwadialo and the transfer of funds from victims to the defendant and his co-conspirators.” The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sok Jiang in the Western District of Washington, where Nwadialo will face arraignment.