FBI arrests another Ghanaian alongside Nigerian tech influencer over cyber fraud

Nigerian tech personality and software developer Sapphire Egemasi has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with an alleged multi-million-dollar internet fraud and money laundering scheme.

Egemasi, who is affiliated with the developer platform Devpost, was apprehended in New York alongside Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who is believed to be the ringleader of the cybercriminal network.

The duo is accused of orchestrating a series of sophisticated online scams targeting various United States government agencies. According to court filings, the illicit activities reportedly occurred between September 2021 and February 2023.

Investigators claim that Egemasi played a pivotal role in the fraud operation by developing fake websites that closely mimicked official U.S. government portals. These counterfeit sites were used to deceive victims into entering their login credentials, which were then exploited to access sensitive accounts and transfer substantial sums of money into accounts controlled by the group.

One notable incident highlighted in the documents involved the theft of $965,000 from the government of Kentucky. This sum was allegedly deposited into a PNC Bank account in August 2022. Around the same period, an additional $330,000 was reportedly transferred into a Bank of America account also linked to the suspects.

The arrests were made following a federal grand jury indictment in 2024, which charged the individuals with multiple offences, including internet fraud and conspiracy to launder money.

Egemasi and her co-defendants are currently in federal custody and are being held pending trial in Lexington, Kentucky.