Romance Scams and Sextortion Proceeds: Nigerian National Olamide Shanu Pleads Guilty to Laundering More Than $2.5 Million

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

Olamide Shanu, 35, a Nigerian national, pleaded guilty on Sept. 21, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho to conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in cyber-enabled schemes that, according to the Justice Department, defrauded about 150 American victims and generated more than $2.5 million [1]. He was extradited from Nigeria. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2026; he faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on the count of conviction [1].

Because Shanu pleaded guilty, the conviction is established as to the money-laundering conspiracy count; a judge will determine the sentence after considering the Sentencing Guidelines and other factors [1].

How the schemes worked, according to court documents

DOJ said Shanu and co-conspirators participated in international financially motivated sextortion, romance fraud, and money laundering [1]:

1. Sextortion. Typically targeting male victims, conspirators persuaded them to send sexual images, then threatened to send those images to friends and family unless the victim paid. Victims included a person in Idaho [1].
2. Romance fraud. Using fake social-media identities, conspirators built deceptive emotional relationships—typically with older women and men—then invented urgent needs for money [1].
3. Laundering. Proceeds moved through peer-to-peer payment apps and cryptocurrency wallets before transfer to co-conspirators in Nigeria [1].

The case is part of the Criminal Division’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative. The U.S. Secret Service and Boise Police investigated; CCIPS and the District of Idaho are prosecuting, with assistance from DOJ’s Office of International Affairs, the State Department, and U.K. authorities [1].

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said the case exposes “a sophisticated international scheme that exploited Americans through sextortion and romance fraud, laundering millions in criminal proceeds,” and pointed to the Criminal Division’s Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative as built to dismantle such networks [1]. U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis for the District of Idaho emphasized that securing extradition from Nigeria shows cyber-enabled offenders can face U.S. prosecution even when they operate abroad [1].

Financially motivated sextortion differs from child-exploitation sextortion in that the primary goal is payment, but the tactics—shame, threats to contacts, and urgency—are similar. Romance fraud often runs for weeks or months before the first large ask, which is why early skepticism about money requests matters.

Red flags

• Online romantic partners who never video-call clearly, or whose stories keep requiring emergency wire, crypto, or app payments.
• Anyone who obtains intimate images and then demands money to keep them private—pay nothing; preserve evidence and report.
• Requests to move money for someone else, “hold” funds, or cash out crypto for a new online friend.
• Pressure, shame, and isolation designed to keep you from telling family or police.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Stop payments immediately. Do not pay “one last fee.”
2. For sextortion: do not comply; save threats and account names; report to ic3.gov and local police. Teens and young adults can also use resources at missingkids.org/gethelpnow.
3. For romance fraud: tell a trusted person, reverse remaining payment rails where possible, and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
4. Age 60 or older? Call 1-833-372-8311 (Elder Justice Hotline).
5. Never hire a stranger who cold-calls offering to “recover” lost romance-scam money for an upfront fee.

Case status (as of Oct. 2, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 2, 2026	Source
Olamide Shanu, 35, Nigerian national	D. Idaho	Pleaded guilty Sept. 21, 2026, to conspiracy to commit money laundering; sentencing set Dec. 15, 2026	[1]

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, “Extradited Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering in Connection with Sextortion and Romance Scams,” Sept. 22, 2026 (plea entered Sept. 21). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/extradited-nigerian-national-pleads-guilty-money-laundering-connection-sextortion-and

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