A Nigerian citizen based in the United Kingdom, Olamide Shanu, is facing up to 20 years in prison in the United States following his extradition over an alleged $2 million fraud scheme.

The US Department of Justice announced on Thursday that the 34-year-old, originally from Lagos State, was arraigned before a US Magistrate Court on Wednesday.

According to the DoJ, Shanu was charged on eight counts, including wire fraud conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit interstate communications with intent to extort, money laundering conspiracy, and cyberstalking.

Prosecutors allege that Shanu and his co-conspirators created fake female profiles on social media, persuading male victims to share intimate photos. Once obtained, the conspirators allegedly threatened to expose the victims to their families and friends unless payments were made.

The indictment also claims the group extorted several victims across the US, including a college student in Idaho, and laundered the proceeds through cryptocurrency wallets. Investigators estimate that Shanu fraudulently obtained no less than $2 million through the schemes.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, alongside possible restitution to victims. Authorities emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and that the defendant remains innocent until proven guilty in court.

In a related case, another Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, based in France, also faces extradition to the US over charges of wire fraud, hacking, and identity theft that reportedly caused losses of more than $800,000. According to the DoJ, Amachukwu and others allegedly infiltrated US-based tax preparation firms in 2019 using spear-phishing emails to gain unauthorized access to electronic systems.