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Nigerian man arrested upon landing in Houston for alleged romance scam

A Nigerian man in Texas has been arrested in connection with a romance scam scheme that federal authorities say netted more than $3.3 million.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, 40, on Saturday after he arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, the FBI said Tuesday. He traveled from Nigeria and is now being transported to the Western District of Washington for arraignment.

Nwadialo was charged last December with 14 counts of wire fraud based on a love game in which four people were defrauded. He allegedly defrauded victims of at least $3.3 million with the help of unidentified co-conspirators, according to the indictment and criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY on Thursday.

“All too often, the defendants in these romance scams are located overseas and beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in a statement. “I congratulate the investigators who take every opportunity to arrest and hold such defendants accountable.”

USA TODAY could not determine whether Nwadialo had been assigned an attorney as of Thursday evening.

The victims said they couldn't meet because he was stationed overseas

According to the indictment, Nwadialo is accused of lying to convince victims to send him money through online dating services such as Match, Zoosk and Christian Café.

Using false images for his profile, Nwadialo allegedly told victims that he could not meet in person because he served in the military and was stationed abroad, the indictment says.

He is said to have had various versions of the name “Giovanni,” including “Tony Giovanni” and “David Giovanni.”

Lies include military sentence, father's funeral and son's college tuition: FBI

According to the indictment, in November 2020, Nwadialo allegedly demanded a military-imposed $150,000 fine from a victim for revealing his location to them.

In 2019, he is accused of telling another person that he needed help transporting money after his father's death, the indictment says. This victim transferred at least $330,000 to accounts controlled by Nwadialo and his co-conspirators.

In another case, he is accused of telling a woman that he was making up money for her. She ended up losing at least $270,000, the complaint says.

In August 2020, another person sent Nwadialo at least $310,000 after he claimed he needed financial assistance for his father's funeral and his son's school fees, the indictment says.

Wire fraud can result in up to 20 years in prison.

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