Five Nigerians Face Up To 100 Years In US Over $6m Romance Scam

Five Nigerian nationals extradited from South Africa to the United States are facing federal fraud and money-laundering charges over an alleged $6 million online romance scam targeting more than 100 people in the United States.

The five men were among six Nigerian nationals extradited from South Africa on September 11, 2026, after being arrested in Cape Town in 2021 following a request from US authorities.

The five defendants named in the US federal case are Perry Osagiede, 57; Franklyn Edosa Osagiede, 42; Osariemen Eric Clement, 40; Collins Owhofasa Otughwor, 42; and Musa Mudashiru, 38.

US prosecutors allege that the men were prominent members of the Cape Town Zone of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, popularly known as Black Axe, and participated in an organised fraud operation that ran for years.

The sixth Nigerian extradited alongside them has been identified in South African reports as Prince Ibeabuchi Mark, but he is not among the five defendants named in the US federal indictment currently at the centre of the case.

The extradition followed a lengthy legal process after the suspects were arrested in Cape Town in 2021. They were eventually handed over to US authorities, including officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Secret Service, for prosecution.

The defendants were scheduled to appear before US District Judge Michael A. Shipp at the federal court in Trenton, New Jersey.

According to US prosecutors, the alleged operation was active between 2011 and 2021 and used online relationships, false identities and other deceptive methods to obtain money from victims.

The alleged romance scam involved the suspects presenting themselves online as potential romantic partners and developing relationships with victims before asking them for financial assistance.

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Prosecutors allege that the victims were often given elaborate explanations for why money was needed, including supposed business problems, construction projects, medical emergencies, accidents, taxes, inheritance difficulties and other financial crises.

In some instances, the alleged fraudsters reportedly persuaded victims to send not only cash but also electronic devices and other valuable items.

The alleged operation also involved advance-fee fraud and business email compromise, according to US authorities.

Investigators allege that money obtained from victims was moved through different bank accounts and business arrangements in an attempt to conceal the proceeds and transfer them to South Africa.

The victims reportedly included retirees, businesspeople and other individuals who were allegedly manipulated through prolonged online relationships.

South African authorities said more than 100 women were allegedly defrauded of more than 100 million South African rand, estimated at about $6.2 million.

The alleged scale of the scheme has drawn attention to the increasingly international nature of cyber-enabled financial crime, in which perpetrators, victims, financial accounts and criminal proceeds can be located in different countries.

US prosecutors have also alleged that members of the group used multiple aliases and online identities in communicating with victims.

Perry Osagiede, whom prosecutors describe as an alleged founder and leader of the Cape Town Zone, is accused of using several aliases, while other defendants are also alleged to have operated under assumed names.

The prosecution further alleges that the accused held leadership positions within the alleged Black Axe structure in South Africa while participating in the fraud schemes.

The charges against the five men include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

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Perry Osagiede, Franklyn Edosa Osagiede and Osariemen Eric Clement are additionally facing individual wire-fraud charges.

Perry Osagiede, Franklyn Edosa Osagiede and Collins Owhofasa Otughwor are also charged with aggravated identity theft.

The potential penalties are significant.

Each wire-fraud conspiracy or wire-fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison under US law, while the money-laundering conspiracy charge also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

The aggravated identity-theft charges carry a mandatory additional two-year prison term, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed.

This means that the defendants could collectively face a maximum exposure of up to 100 years in prison if convicted on the applicable charges.

However, the 100-year figure is a statutory maximum and does not mean the defendants have been sentenced to 100 years.

Any eventual sentence would depend on the outcome of the trial, the specific counts on which a defendant is convicted and the applicable US sentencing rules.

The case is part of a broader international effort to disrupt criminal networks accused of conducting online financial fraud across borders.

The Black Axe network has been identified by international law-enforcement agencies as a transnational organised crime network linked to cyber-enabled fraud and other criminal activities.

The extradition also highlights cooperation between South Africa, the United States, the FBI, the US Secret Service and international law-enforcement agencies in pursuing suspects accused of operating across national borders.

The men were arrested in South Africa in 2021, meaning the case has taken several years to reach the US courts.

Their extradition now allows the US judicial system to determine whether prosecutors can prove the allegations against them beyond the required legal standard.

The development comes as US and international authorities intensify efforts against romance scams, which have become a major form of online financial fraud.

Such scams typically involve perpetrators establishing emotional relationships with victims online before inventing emergencies or financial problems to persuade them to transfer money.

US authorities have repeatedly warned that victims can be targeted for extended periods before realising that the person with whom they have established an online relationship may not be who they claimed to be.

The prosecution of the five Nigerians therefore represents not only a major fraud case but also another example of how law-enforcement agencies are pursuing alleged cybercrime networks beyond the countries where their victims live.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the five defendants remain legally presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted by a US court.

The case will now proceed through the American federal justice system, where prosecutors are expected to present evidence supporting the allegations contained in the indictment.

Five Nigerians Face Up To 100 Years In US Over $6m Romance Scam