A Nigerian man, Charles Uchenna Nwadavid, has been charged in the United States for allegedly playing a key role in a romance scam that stole more than $2.5 million from unsuspecting victims. Nwadavid, 34, from Abuja, Nigeria, was arrested in Texas on April 7, 2025, after arriving at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on a flight from the United Kingdom.
The charges were filed in Boston, Massachusetts, where a federal grand jury had indicted him back in January 2024. Nwadavid faces serious accusations including mail fraud and money laundering. He made his first court appearance in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 8 and is being held in custody. He is expected to appear in Boston federal court at a later date.
According to court documents, Nwadavid allegedly ran what’s known as a romance scam, a scheme where scammers pretend to be someone else online to form fake romantic relationships. Once trust is built, the scammers create urgent, emotional stories to convince victims to send money. These stories can involve fake medical emergencies, promises of large inheritances, or made-up legal troubles.
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Between 2016 and September 2019, Nwadavid allegedly took part in scams that convinced multiple victims to send money abroad. One of the victims, a woman from Massachusetts, became a key figure in the scheme. Authorities say Nwadavid tricked her into receiving money from five other victims across the U.S. and then forwarding it through cryptocurrency transactions, thinking she was helping someone she cared about.
How the Scam Worked Behind the Scenes
Investigators believe Charles Uchenna Nwadavid used sneaky methods to hide his identity and role in the scam. Instead of receiving the victims’ money directly, he allegedly used the Massachusetts woman—known as Victim 1 in legal documents—to collect and forward the funds.
Victim 1 was not only scammed into sending her own money but was also unknowingly used to transfer over $2.5 million from five other victims. Nwadavid allegedly instructed her to convert the money into cryptocurrency—a type of digital money that is often harder to track than traditional banking systems. He reportedly accessed her online accounts from overseas and used them to transfer the stolen funds to accounts he controlled on LocalBitcoins, an online cryptocurrency platform.
This is known as money laundering, where criminals try to make illegal money appear legitimate by passing it through different channels. In this case, the cryptocurrency exchanges were allegedly used to hide where the money came from and where it was going. According to officials, the scam was carefully planned and ran for several years before it was uncovered.
All of the victims believed they were in real relationships with someone they could trust. They thought they were helping with emergencies or important matters. Instead, they were caught in a web of lies designed to steal their money.
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Possible Penalties and Legal Actions
The legal consequences for the charges against Charles Uchenna Nwadavid are very serious. If found guilty of mail fraud, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison, along with three years of supervised release. He may also be required to pay up to $250,000 in fines, or twice the amount of money stolen, as well as restitution to the victims and forfeiture of any assets tied to the scam.
The money laundering charges are equally severe. Each of those charges can also carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, along with fines of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the laundered money, and additional requirements for restitution and forfeiture.
If convicted, Nwadavid will also be subject to deportation after serving his prison sentence.
It is important to remember that these are still allegations. Charles Uchenna Nwadavid is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case is currently being handled by federal prosecutors and investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of online scams. Many victims believed they were helping someone they loved. Instead, they were part of a heartbreaking and costly fraud that spanned several years and multiple states.
