A Nigerian national, Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, has been charged in the United States for his alleged involvement in a romance scam that defrauded six victims of more than $2.5 million.
US authorities allege that Nwadavid laundered the stolen funds through cryptocurrency accounts under his control.
Nwadavid, 34, who resides in Abuja, Nigeria, was arrested on April 7, 2025, upon arrival at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on a flight from the United Kingdom.
He was indicted in January 2024 by a federal grand jury in Boston on mail fraud and money laundering charges.
He appeared before a federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 8, 2025, where he was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
However, Nwadavid is expected to be transferred to Boston for arraignment at a later date.
According to charging documents, the alleged scheme involved so-called “romance scams,” in which perpetrators create fake profiles on dating and social media platforms to deceive victims into forming online romantic relationships.
The document read, “Once trust is established, the scammers manipulate victims into sending money or conducting financial transactions on their behalf, often under false pretenses—such as needing funds to access a fabricated multi-million dollar inheritance or to cover sudden medical emergencies.
“Between 2016 and September 2019, Nwadavid allegedly participated in such scams and tricked victims into transferring money overseas.
“To obscure his involvement, he reportedly used one of the victims—a Massachusetts woman identified as “Victim 1″—as an intermediary.”
Authorities claim that Nwadavid convinced Victim 1 to receive money from five other victims located across the United States.
Nwadavid allegedly directed Victim 1 to convert both her own funds and those from the other victims into cryptocurrency and transfer them to digital wallets he controlled on the LocalBitcoins platform.
He also reportedly accessed accounts in Victim 1’s name from outside the U.S. to facilitate the transfers.
Meanwhile, if convicted, Nwadavid faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of loss for the mail fraud charge, as well as restitution and forfeiture.
The money laundering charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered funds, in addition to restitution and forfeiture.
He may also face deportation following the completion of any prison sentence.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division.