Nigerian Man Extradited to U.S. for $158,400 Wire Fraud After Arrest in Germany

A Nigerian national, Lotenna Chisom Umeadi, has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in the United States after being arrested in Germany and extradited to face charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed the development on Thursday through U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Buffalo.

Court documents reveal that Umeadi was involved in a sophisticated email fraud scheme targeting a Sri Lankan produce exporter and a U.S.-based importer. He admitted to purchasing a malicious webpage from a hacker, which he used to steal email passwords and infiltrate the accounts of the Sri Lankan company’s employees. Masquerading as representatives of the exporter, Umeadi sent deceptive emails to the U.S. importer, instructing them to redirect payments to bank accounts in the United Kingdom under his control.

In 2016, the U.S. importer, based in Plattsburgh, New York, unknowingly transferred $158,400 to the fraudulent accounts as a result of the scheme.

Umeadi was arrested by German authorities on September 1, 2024, upon his arrival from Nigeria. He was later extradited to the United States, where he now awaits sentencing scheduled for July 21, 2025. He faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Following his sentence, Umeadi will be removed from the United States.

The case is being investigated by HSI, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer and support from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.