Nigeria: U.S. Indicts Nigerian Over $300,000 Romance, Email Scam

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a Leadership report from Abuja, says a federal grand jury in the United States has indicted Okeoghene Patrick Udugba, a 45-year-old Nigerian national living in Frisco, Texas, over alleged involvement in romance fraud and business email compromise schemes. The indictment was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in a statement issued Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

According to the report, Udugba is charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller said the indictment alleges that Udugba and others helped defraud the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of more than $300,000. The allegations remain unproven unless established in court.

Leadership reported that investigators allege the group used social media and dating platforms to create false romantic relationships with people in several U.S. states. Those individuals were allegedly persuaded to act as money mules by receiving and cashing fraudulent checks. The alleged scheme also involved emails sent from spoofed addresses in Nigeria, with senders pretending to be representatives of the U.S. government agency to trigger the fraudulent payments.

The case highlights continued U.S. law enforcement scrutiny of cross-border online fraud, including romance scams and business email compromise, which often rely on impersonation, social engineering and the movement of funds through third parties. No trial date, plea, arrest status or possible penalties were provided in the supplied report.