Sapphire Egemasi, Nigerian tech expert, nabbed in US over ‘fraud’

Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian tech expert has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over allegations of fraud in the United States.

According to reports, she was arrested on April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York, in connection with a sophisticated fraud operation that allegedly targeted several U.S. government agencies.

“The suspect, alongside her co-conspirators, including one Samuel Kwadwo Osei—believed to be the leader of the syndicate—faces a potential prison sentence of more than 20 years in the United States.”

Authorities made the arrests based on a 2024 federal grand jury indictment that charged the group with orchestrating large-scale online fraud and laundering illicit proceeds between September 2021 and February 2023.

“Sapphire Egemasi and her Ghanaian co-defendants allegedly conspired to defraud the city of Kentucky of millions of dollars.”

Her specific role in the scheme reportedly involved creating fake websites designed to mimic legitimate U.S. government domains, which were then used to steal login credentials and facilitate the diversion of stolen funds.

“Text message records show that in August 2022, the syndicate rerouted $965,000 stolen from Kentucky into a PNC Bank account.”

“In a separate transaction around the same time, $330,000 was funnelled into a Bank of America account.”

Prior to her arrest, Egemasi was said to be living in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Her work history also indicates she previously resided and worked in Ghana.

“Her LinkedIn shows that she has held multiple roles, mostly internships, at major multinational companies, including British Petroleum, H&M, and Zara.”