Sentenced to 8 Years for a Romance Scam, Prosecutors Say She Never Reported to Prison. Now She's Indicted.

Published Nov. 2, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

She told her probation officer which flight she would take to Minnesota to begin an eight-year federal prison sentence. According to federal prosecutors in New Orleans, she never boarded it. Her GPS monitor last placed her at the Atlanta airport, and then it stopped working.

On Oct. 23, 2026, a federal grand jury in New Orleans indicted Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall, 46, of Atlanta, for failure to report to the Bureau of Prisons to serve a sentence, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced [1]. Hall had been sentenced to 96 months in prison for her role in a romance scam that targeted mostly older women. She is at large, a warrant has been issued for her arrest, and the FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to her arrest.

Important: Hall pleaded guilty in the romance scam case and was sentenced. The new failure-to-report charge is an accusation. U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle "reiterated that the indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt" [1].

The romance scam

According to evidence at trial and court documents, as summarized by prosecutors [1]:

1. Fake personas. Members of the conspiracy "falsely represented themselves to be generals, philanthropists, or entrepreneurs who lived outside the United States."
2. Social media first. They met victims "on Facebook, Instagram, and similar social media platforms," gained their trust, and asked them to move conversations "to WhatsApp or another encrypted platform."
3. The romance. They then fostered a romantic relationship and asked victims to send money "for fraudulent reasons, such as to help with charitable work or to assist sick family members."
4. The company. Hall and her co-defendant, Kenneth G. Akpieyi of Marietta, Ga., organized a company, Le Beau Monde LLC, that they used in the scheme. Hall deposited victim money into accounts held in her company's name and then moved it to accounts at other financial institutions, including foreign banks.

Hall admitted responsibility for $851,207 in losses to victims. Akpieyi "was found to be responsible for victim losses exceeding $3.5 million," according to the release.

The people involved and their status

Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall is a citizen of Nigeria and a U.S. permanent resident, prosecutors say. She was indicted in April 2024 for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, arrested in Atlanta, and released on bond. She later pleaded guilty. In January 2026, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced her to 96 months in prison, let her remain on bond, and ordered her to report to her designated prison by March 25, 2026 [1].

According to a criminal complaint in the new case, her GPS monitor showed her last known location as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 24, 2026, "where the device ceased operating." She had given her probation officer her flight information to Minnesota, where she was designated to serve her sentence, but airline records show she did not board the flight, prosecutors say.

If convicted of failing to report, Hall faces up to 10 years in prison, to be served consecutively to her earlier sentence, plus a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. The case, Criminal Action No. 26-255 "G," is assigned to U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne is prosecuting, and the FBI New Orleans Field Office investigated.

Kenneth G. Akpieyi was convicted after a four-day jury trial in July 2025 and sentenced by Judge Milazzo to 25 years in prison. He was taken into custody after trial and is serving his sentence, according to the release.

"Her flight from the law demonstrates her utter disregard of our judicial system," U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle said. "We will continue to pursue HALL, and any person who may be facilitating her failure to appear to serve her federal prison sentence" [1].

Have information? The U.S. Attorney's Office asks anyone with information on Hall's location to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. Do not try to approach anyone yourself.

Red flags

These are general warning signs of romance scams, not findings about any defendant:

• A new online love interest who says they're a general, soldier, doctor or businessperson working overseas.
• Pressure to move from Facebook or Instagram to WhatsApp or another private app.
• Any request for money, especially for charity work, a sick relative, travel, or fees, from someone you have never met in person.
• Being asked to pay a company or business account rather than the person you're talking to.
• Requests to keep the relationship secret, or anger when you ask questions.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Stop sending money, and don't send money to anyone you've only met online.
2. Talk to someone you trust. Family members and friends can often see warning signs that are hard to see from inside a relationship.
3. Call your bank using the number on your card if you've already sent money.
4. Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Save profiles, messages and payment records.
5. Age 60 or older? The DOJ Elder Justice Hotline is 1-833-372-8311 (1-833-FRAUD-11).

Case status (as of Nov. 2, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Nov. 2, 2026	Source
Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall, 46, Atlanta	Federal, E.D. La.	Romance scam case: pleaded guilty; sentenced January 2026 to 96 months. New case (Crim. No. 26-255 "G"): indicted Oct. 23, 2026, for failure to report to serve sentence; at large; warrant issued; not convicted on the new charge	[1]
Kenneth G. Akpieyi, Marietta, Ga.	Federal, E.D. La.	Convicted at jury trial July 2025; sentenced to 25 years; in custody	[1]

Hall is presumed innocent of the new failure-to-report charge unless and until proven guilty. Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana, "Convicted Romance Scammer Indicted for Failure to Report to Federal Prison," Oct. 28, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/convicted-romance-scammer-indicted-failure-report-federal-prison

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