U.S. federal authorities have arrested Nigerian national Sapphire Egemasi, widely known as the “Tech Queen,” along with her alleged Ghanaian accomplice, Samuel Kwadwo Osei, for their roles in a multimillion-dollar internet fraud scheme that targeted several U.S. government agencies.
According to a federal indictment unsealed this week, the two suspects orchestrated a sophisticated phishing operation that ran from September 2021 to February 2023.
The operation involved the creation of spoofed websites mimicking legitimate portals of U.S. government institutions. These fake sites were used to trick officials into revealing login credentials, which were then exploited to divert government funds.
Samuel Kwadwo Osei is identified as the ringleader of the group, while Sapphire Egemasi is believed to have handled the technical infrastructure behind the attacks, including web development and data extraction tools.
Authorities say the fraud resulted in the theft of an undisclosed but significant amount of federal funds, with several government agencies impacted. The investigation was led by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in cooperation with multiple cybercrime task forces.
Both suspects are currently in custody and awaiting trial in Lexington, Kentucky. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in federal prison, followed by deportation.
Prosecutors have described the case as one of the more “technically advanced” cyber fraud operations uncovered in recent years involving West African nationals.
“This was a deliberate and highly coordinated attack on U.S. federal infrastructure,” a spokesperson from the Department of Justice said. “We are committed to pursuing every individual involved, no matter where they are based.”
Court documents indicate that additional suspects may be under investigation, and law enforcement is working with international partners to trace funds and identify co-conspirators.
As the legal proceedings move forward, the case is likely to draw further scrutiny on cross-border cybercrime and the growing need for improved security around government systems.
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