Sextortion Scheme: Nigerian Pleads Guilty in U.S., Faces Life Imprisonment

A Nigerian national, 27-year-old Imoleayo Aina, has pleaded guilty in the United States for his role in a sextortion scheme linked to the tragic death of a teenage boy. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Aina now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with sentencing scheduled for August 11, 2025.

Aina was arrested in Nigeria on July 31, 2014, alongside co-conspirator Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and later extradited to the U.S. for prosecution. Both were arraigned in a U.S. District Court in August 2024. A third suspect, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, remains in Nigeria awaiting extradition.

The DOJ stated that Aina pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threats to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of wire fraud. These charges stem from a sextortion case in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that led to a teenager’s death. Abiodun had previously pleaded guilty in December 2024 to similar charges and is set to be sentenced on June 10, 2025, facing up to 100 years in prison.

The U.S. government has acknowledged the support of Nigerian authorities in securing the extradition of the suspects. This case forms part of a broader investigation into a global sextortion ring. On April 26, 2025, it was reported that the FBI had arrested 22 Nigerians connected to financially motivated sextortion operations that have been linked to more than 20 teenage suicides across the U.S. since 2021.

The arrests were made under Operation Artemis, an international law enforcement effort involving agencies from the United States, Nigeria, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The crackdown follows a sharp increase in incidents where teenage boys were manipulated into sharing explicit images and then blackmailed with threats of exposure.