Nigerian Franklin Nwadialo jailed 5 years in US for romance scam that stole $3.5m from victims using fake military lover persona.
A 42-year-old Nigerian man, Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, has been sentenced to five years in a United States federal prison for running a romance scam that took more than $3.5 million from victims.
The sentence was handed down by a US District Court in Tacoma, Washington, after a case built by the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
Nwadialo was arrested the moment he landed at an airport in Texas in 2024, traveling from Nigeria. He had been indicted in December 2023 on 14 counts of wire fraud connected to the scheme.
How he operated
Prosecutors say Nwadialo did not use his real name. He created several fake profiles using variations of the name "Giovanni" on popular dating platforms including Match, Zoosk, and Christian Café.
He posted stolen photos and told women he was a US military officer deployed overseas, which was why he could never meet in person.
Once trust was built, the stories began.
In one case in 2020, he told a victim he had been fined $150,000 by the military for revealing his location. She sent money to help. In total, that woman lost at least $2.4 million.
Another victim in 2019 was asked to help move funds after his "father’s death." She wired at least $330,000 to accounts he controlled.
A third woman was told her money was being invested. Nwadialo directed her to send at least $270,000 into a cryptocurrency wallet he owned.
A fourth victim, met on a dating site in August 2020, sent at least $310,000 after he claimed he needed help paying for his father’s funeral and his son’s school fees.
In all, investigators say he defrauded victims of more than $3.3 million, with court filings later putting the total loss at about $3.5 million from eight different victims.
Who he targeted
The US Attorney’s Office said Nwadialo spent about 15 years perfecting the trick. He deliberately went after older people, especially widows and divorcees who were lonely and looking for companionship.
One woman believed she was in a real relationship with him for three years before FBI agents told her the truth. Another widow lost her home and life savings after liquidating assets to keep sending him money.
What the court said
At sentencing, US District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright, who sits in Tacoma, described the crime as devastating. She told the court it was not an exaggeration to say it ruined lives, not only financially, but also left victims dealing with shame, depression, and isolation from their own families.
First Assistant US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said Nwadialo preyed on people already dealing with grief. “For some 15 years he upended the lives of people he never met,” he told the court.
FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Harrington said Nwadialo gained trust first, then told lies to steal life savings totaling millions of dollars.
The aftermath
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sok Tea Jiang and David T. Martin.
Wire fraud carries up to 20 years in prison, but Nwadialo received five years, followed by likely deportation after his sentence.
US officials say the arrest was rare because most romance scammers operate from overseas and never set foot in America. Nwadialo’s decision to travel to Texas in 2024 gave investigators the chance to pick him up at the airport.
For victims, the sentence closes a painful chapter, but many are still counting the financial cost.
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