A 35-year-old Nigerian national, Olamide Shanu, has pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiracy to commit money laundering over his alleged involvement in international cyber-enabled fraud schemes that defrauded about 150 American victims and resulted in millions of dollars in losses.
The United States Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
According to the DOJ, Shanu, who reportedly received more than $2.5 million in proceeds from the schemes, entered his guilty plea on Monday.
Shanu was extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom in 2025.
Court documents revealed that Shanu and his co-conspirators operated financially motivated sextortion, romance fraud and money laundering schemes targeting victims across the United States.
In the sextortion scheme, the suspects typically targeted male victims and persuaded them to send intimate images. They would then threaten to distribute the images to the victims’ friends and family unless money was paid.
The scheme targeted numerous victims across the country, including an individual in Idaho.
In the romance fraud operation, Shanu and his co-conspirators allegedly used fake identities on social media to target victims, often older men and women. They established deceptive romantic relationships, gained the victims’ trust and convinced them that they had a future together.
The victims were then persuaded to send money based on various fabricated and supposedly urgent financial needs.
Investigators said proceeds from the fraud schemes were laundered through peer-to-peer payment platforms and multiple cryptocurrency wallets before being transferred to co-conspirators in Nigeria.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division described the case as a sophisticated international operation involving sextortion, romance fraud and the laundering of millions of dollars in criminal proceeds.
He said the prosecution demonstrates the department’s commitment to dismantling cyber-enabled fraud networks and holding those responsible accountable.
U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis for the District of Idaho also said the case demonstrated the United States’ determination to prosecute cybercriminals regardless of where they operate.
Assistant Director Brent Daniels of the U.S. Secret Service’s Office of Field Operations described financially motivated sextortion as a serious crime that exploits victims through fear, shame and trust.
Shanu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, 2026.
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A federal judge will determine the actual sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Secret Service and Boise Police Department are investigating the case.
The prosecution is being handled by Senior Counsel Vasantha Rao of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, alongside Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Sean Mazorol for the District of Idaho.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. State Department and authorities in the United Kingdom also provided substantial assistance in the case.
