FBI Hunts Nigerian Woman in Multi-Million-Dollar Romance Fraud Case

Emuobosan Emanuella Hall

FBI Hunts Nigerian Woman in Multi-Million-Dollar Romance Fraud Case

A Nigerian national and United States permanent resident, Emuobosan Emanuella Hall, has been declared wanted by U.S. authorities after failing to report to prison to begin serving an eight-year sentence linked to a romance fraud scheme.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana confirmed that a federal arrest warrant was issued on April 14, 2026, after Hall failed to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons as ordered following her conviction. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Phillips Currault signed the criminal complaint, formally declaring Hall a fugitive after she did not report to prison by March 25, 2026.

Hall was sentenced in January 2026 to 96 months (eight years) in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Court documents show that Hall was involved in a large-scale online romance scam operation that targeted mostly older women across the United States. She and her co-conspirators allegedly created fake identities posing as military officers, businessmen, and philanthropists, contacting victims through social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram before moving conversations to encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp. Victims were then manipulated into sending money for fake emergencies, charity donations, and medical expenses.

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Prosecutors said the scheme was highly organised and resulted in victims losing over $850,000, while co-defendant Kenneth G. Akpieyi was held responsible for more than $3.5 million in losses. Akpieyi was separately convicted after trial and is currently serving a 25-year federal prison sentence.

Investigators said Hall and Akpieyi operated through a business entity, Le Beau Monde LLC, which was allegedly used to receive and transfer fraud proceeds, including sending funds to foreign bank accounts. Authorities described the operation as a structured financial network designed to conceal illicit transactions.

Hall was allowed to remain on bond after sentencing but was ordered to report to a federal prison facility by March 25, 2026. However, she failed to show up. GPS monitoring data reportedly placed her last known location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 24, 2026, where her tracking device stopped transmitting. Although she provided flight details to Minnesota, airline records showed she never boarded the flight, while further data suggested she may have travelled toward the Washington, D.C. area instead.

She now faces an additional charge of failure to report to prison, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 more years in prison, to run consecutively with her original sentence. She could also face fines of up to $250,000, supervised release, and other federal penalties if convicted.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) New Orleans Field Office led the investigation, while federal prosecutors condemned her actions, saying her failure to report reflects a deliberate attempt to evade justice and worsens the impact on victims, many of whom lost retirement savings in the scam. Authorities have urged the public to report any information that could lead to her arrest.