Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian programmer known online as “tech queen”, faces nearly 20 years in prison after the FBI arrested her for allegedly helping defraud US government organisations of millions.
Egemasi was arrested in April 2025 in the Bronx, New York, along with other suspects, including Ghanaian national Samuel Kwadwo Osei, considered to be the leader of the fraud ring.
The charges originate from a federal indictment for online fraud and money laundering, said to have occurred between September 2021 and February 2023.
According to court filings, Egemasi’s role was to establish fake US government websites in order to steal login passwords, which were then used to embezzle public cash. She also reportedly assisted in the transfer of stolen funds into syndicate-controlled accounts.
According to investigators, the group transferred $965,000 and $330,000, both taken from the city of Kentucky, to accounts at PNC Bank and Bank of America in 2022.
Egemasi, who previously lived in Cambridge, UK, is thought to have met her co-conspirators in Ghana several years ago.
She then became the syndicate’s technical specialist, operating in the United States and Nigeria.
To conceal her source of income, she claimed to have interned at BP, H&M, and Zara.
Egemasi, known for her showy online presence, frequently uploaded photographs of expensive travels to places like Greece and Portugal, portraying a life of success fuelled by technological expertise.
She and her co-defendants are currently being imprisoned in Lexington, Kentucky, as they await trial.
If convicted, they risk up to 20 years in prison, heavy fines, and deportation.
