The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested Nigerian national Sapphire Egemasi, widely known on social media as a ‘tech queen,’ for her alleged role in a multi-million dollar internet fraud and money laundering scheme targeting U.S. government agencies.
Egemasi, a programmer who maintained a Devpost account, was taken into custody on April 10, 2025, in Bronx, New York. She was arrested alongside several co-conspirators, including Ghanaian national Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who is believed to have led the criminal syndicate. The group faces charges stemming from a federal grand jury indictment issued last year, accusing them of defrauding the city of Kentucky between September 2021 and February 2023.
Court documents reveal that Egemasi’s role involved creating and registering spoof websites mimicking U.S. government institutions to steal login credentials. She also helped the syndicate redirect stolen funds through wire transfers into bank accounts controlled by the group. Text messages recovered by authorities show that in August 2022, the group rerouted $965,000 in stolen funds to a PNC Bank account and diverted an additional $330,000 to a Bank of America account.
Before her arrest, Egemasi lived in Cambridge, United Kingdom, and reportedly met her Ghanaian co-conspirators while residing in West Africa years earlier. She claimed to have held several internships at multinational companies like British Petroleum, H&M, and Zara to conceal the origins of her wealth.
Known for flaunting an extravagant lifestyle on LinkedIn and other social media platforms, Egemasi posted photos from luxury vacations to Greece, Portugal, and other destinations, which investigators believe were funded by the illicit proceeds.
Currently detained in Lexington, Kentucky, Egemasi and her co-defendants await trial, where they face up to 20 years in prison, substantial fines, and possible deportation after serving their sentences.
This case highlights the growing sophistication of cybercrime syndicates exploiting technology to defraud government entities and highlights ongoing efforts by U.S. authorities to combat such schemes.
