Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian ‘tech queen’, faces more than 20 years in prison after her arrest by the FBI for allegedly defrauding multiple U.S. government agencies out of substantial sums.
Egemasi, identified as a programmer with a Devpost account, was detained around April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York, along with co-conspirators, including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who is suspected of leading the fraudulent operation.
The arrests followed a federal grand jury indictment last year, which charged the group with internet fraud and money laundering for crimes said to have occurred between September 2021 and February 2023.
According to documents obtained by Peoples Gazette, Egemasi and her co-defendants, consisting of Ghanaians, conspired to defraud the city of Kentucky out of millions. Egemasi’s role involved creating counterfeit websites resembling U.S. government agencies to capture user login details.
It was reported that Egemasi had resided in Cambridge, UK, until her arrest. Authorities believe she became acquainted with her Ghanaian accomplices during her years in West Africa, eventually becoming the technical lead for their fraudulent operations spanning both the U.S. and Nigeria.
She was instrumental in redirecting stolen funds to accounts managed by the syndicate through wire transfers. Text messages recovered by officials indicate that the group had redirected $965,000 in stolen funds from Kentucky to a PNC Bank account in August 2022, alongside another $330,000 diverted into a Bank of America account.
To mask the origins of her wealth, Egemasi claimed to have held various internships at multinational companies such as British Petroleum, H&M, and Zara.
Among her LinkedIn followers, she was celebrated as a ‘tech queen’, frequently showcasing her affluent lifestyle, which was likely funded by her illicit activities. She also shared images of her travels to popular destinations, including Greece and Portugal.
At present, Egemasi remains in custody with her co-conspirators, awaiting trial in Lexington, Kentucky, where they are each facing potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison, hefty fines, and possible deportation upon completion of their sentences.
