A Nigerian technology enthusiast, Sapphire Egemasi, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a large-scale fraud scheme targeting several U.S. government agencies.
Egemasi, who is known for her presence on the developer platform Devpost, was taken into custody in April in the Bronx, New York. She was arrested alongside others, including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who is alleged to be the mastermind of the syndicate.
The arrests followed a federal grand jury indictment issued in 2024, which charged the group with multiple counts related to internet fraud and money laundering.
The criminal activities reportedly took place between September 2021 and February 2023.
Investigators allege that Egemasi played a key role in the operation by creating fake websites that mimicked official U.S. government portals in order to steal login credentials.
These credentials were then used to redirect stolen funds into various accounts.
Records from the investigation indicate that in August 2022, approximately $965,000 was siphoned from the city of Kentucky into a PNC Bank account.
Another transaction around the same period involved the transfer of $330,000 into a Bank of America account.
Egemasi and her co-accused are currently in federal custody and are awaiting trial in Lexington, Kentucky. If found guilty, she could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years, along with substantial fines and possible deportation upon completion of her sentence.
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