Nigerian tech influencer Sapphire Egemasi has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for her alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar internet fraud and money laundering scheme.
She was arrested in New York with Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who is believed to be the leader of the alleged fraud operation.
They are being accused of targeting various U.S. government agencies in a series of sophisticated cyber fraud and money laundering activities.
According to court documents, the illegal operations reportedly took place between September 2021 and February 2023.
Sapphire Egemasi, a software developer at Devpost, a platform for developers, is alleged to have played a critical role in the cybercrime ring.
Investigators revealed that she helped create fake websites that closely resembled official U.S. government portals.
These fraudulent websites were used to trick victims into disclosing their login information. Once the attackers gained access, they allegedly transferred large sums of money into bank accounts they controlled.
One such incident involved the theft of $965,000 from the government of Kentucky, which was transferred into a PNC Bank account in August 2022.
Around the same time, another $330,000 was reportedly funnelled into a Bank of America account also linked to the group.
The arrests followed a federal grand jury indictment in 2024, which charged the suspects with multiple offenses, including internet fraud and money laundering.
Sapphire Egemasi and the others are currently in federal custody and are being held pending trial in Lexington, Kentucky.
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