A Nigerian national, Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, 34, of Abuja, is facing serious federal charges in the United States for his alleged role in a $2.5 million romance scam targeting multiple victims across the country.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, Nwadavid was arrested on April 7, 2025, upon arrival at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport from the United Kingdom.
The following day, he appeared in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, and is currently being detained pending further legal proceedings.
The indictment against Nwadavid, issued by a federal grand jury in Boston in January 2024, charges him one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison—20 years for each charge—along with potential fines, restitution, forfeiture, and eventual deportation.
Between 2016 and 2019, Nwadavid is alleged to have orchestrated a romance scam that defrauded at least six individuals of more than $2.5 million.
The DOJ claims that he tricked victims into sending him money under the pretense of romantic relationships, then funneled those funds into cryptocurrency accounts he controlled.
To mask his involvement, prosecutors say Nwadavid used one of the victims, referred to as “Victim 1” from Massachusetts, to receive money from five other scam victims.
He then reportedly convinced Victim 1 to convert the funds into cryptocurrency and send them to him. He also accessed her accounts remotely to transfer funds to LocalBitcoins, an online crypto-trading platform.
Though Nwadavid is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the legal penalties are steep. The mail fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the victim’s loss. The money laundering charge could result in an additional 20-year sentence, three more years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount laundered.
Upon completing any prison term, Nwadavid would also face deportation from the United States.
Nwadavid’s case will proceed in federal court in Boston, where he is expected to appear later.
M10News.com will continue to follow this developing story.
