FBI Arrests Nigerian Tech Queen, Sapphire Egemasi Over Multi-Million Dollar Fraud

Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian tech enthusiast known online as the “tech queen,” has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a major fraud case in the United States.

The Nigerian tech queen is now facing charges that could lead to more than two years behind bars.

Sapphire Egemasi, who is known to be a programmer and had an active profile on the developer platform Devpost, was taken into custody around April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York.

Authorities also arrested several others, including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, a Ghanaian national believed to be the leader of the operation.

The arrests came after a 2024 indictment by a federal grand jury, which accused the group of carrying out a complex internet fraud and money laundering scheme between September 2021 and February 2023.

Investigators say the group targeted multiple U.S. government agencies, including local authorities in Kentucky.

According to federal officials, Egemasi played a major role by building fake websites that mimicked official U.S. government sites.

These sites were allegedly used to trick users into giving up their login details, allowing the group to access and divert funds into accounts they controlled.

She was reportedly living in Cambridge, UK, before her arrest, though investigators believe she had previously lived in Ghana, where she may have formed connections with the others involved.

Authorities allege Egemasi acted as the tech mastermind of the group, coordinating the technical side of the fraud, setting up the websites, and overseeing the flow of stolen money.

In one incident in August 2022, records show nearly $965,000 was diverted from Kentucky and deposited into a PNC Bank account. In another transaction, around $330,000 ended up in a Bank of America account.

To cover up the origins of her income, Egemasi is said to have claimed she worked multiple internships at high-profile companies like British Petroleum, Zara, and H\&M.

She built a polished online image, especially on LinkedIn, where she highlighted her tech skills and portrayed a successful lifestyle.

Her social media showed her enjoying luxury holidays in places like Greece and Portugal—trips that prosecutors claim were paid for with stolen money.

Sapphire Egemasi and her co-defendants are currently being held in federal custody in Lexington, Kentucky, while they await trial.

If found guilty, they each face up to 20 years in prison, heavy fines, and likely deportation after serving their sentences.

KanyiDaily recalls that the Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Joseph Oloyede, was recently arrested in the US by the FBI after being charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.