A Nigerian man, Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, has been charged in the United States for allegedly stealing over $2.5 million through a romance scam and then laundering the money using cryptocurrency.

The U.S. Department of Justice shared the news on April 9, 2025. Nwadavid, 34, from Abuja, Nigeria, was arrested on April 7 after flying in from the United Kingdom to the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. He was previously indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in January 2024 and is now facing charges of mail fraud and money laundering.

He appeared in federal court in Texas on April 8 and will later be moved to Boston for more court hearings.

The charges say that Nwadavid took part in online romance scams between 2016 and 2019. These scams usually involve fake online profiles that pretend to seek romantic relationships. Once trust is built, the scammers convince victims to send money or move funds for fake emergencies like medical bills or legal fees.

Nwadavid reportedly used a woman in Massachusetts, referred to as “Victim 1”, to receive money from five other victims in the U.S. He then convinced her to send all the money—including her own—through cryptocurrency transactions. He also accessed her accounts remotely and transferred the funds to accounts he controlled.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge, along with heavy fines and supervised release. He could also be deported after serving his sentence.

Authorities stress that these are only allegations and Nwadavid is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.