United States: a Nigerian influencer arrested by the FBI for fraud

The so-called “Queen of Technology,” Sapphire Egemasi, a 28-year-old Nigerian, faces more than 20 years in prison after her arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

This programmer, known for her DevPost account, allegedly defrauded several US government agencies of several million dollars as part of a vast international cybercrime network.

Egemasi was arrested in New York in the company of several accomplices, including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, a Ghanaian national suspected of being the mastermind of the operation.

The group, indicted by a federal grand jury in 2023, is accused of online fraud and money laundering between September 2021 and February 2023.Visit. A F R I N I K .C O M .For the full article.

According to court documents, the defendants hacked public funds by creating fake government websites to steal login credentials. Among their targets: the Kentucky city, which was robbed of $ 965,000 in August 2022, diverted to a PNC Bank account.

A few months later, the gang stole another $330,000, this time transferred to a Bank of America account.

To justify his suspicious income, Egemasi claimed to have worked for multinationals such as BP, H&M, and Zara, citing internships and positions in web development.

If convicted, the Nigerian woman faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. His Ghanaian accomplices, who are still under an international arrest warrant, could also face heavy penalties.

The case could become more complicated: new evidence is being analyzed by the FBI.