Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian software engineer and self-styled “Tech Queen” is facing up to 20 years in a U.S. federal prison after being indicted for her alleged role in a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme that siphoned millions from American municipal institutions.
Egemasi, a programmer with an active online presence portraying her as a tech entrepreneur, was arrested in the Bronx, New York, in April following a 2024 federal grand jury indictment.
Prosecutors allege Egemasi was part of a cybercrime ring led by Ghanaian national Samuel Kwadwo Osei, which operated across the U.S., Ghana, and the UK between 2021 and 2023.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the group deployed phishing schemes and spoofed websites to impersonate government portals, deceiving public employees into revealing sensitive login credentials. These credentials were then used to access financial systems and divert public funds into fraudulent accounts.
In one instance detailed in court filings, the city of Kentucky was defrauded of $965,000 through a wire transfer into a PNC Bank account controlled by the group. Another transaction routed $330,000 to a Bank of America account. Investigators say the syndicate employed laundering techniques to disguise the source of the stolen funds.
Egemasi allegedly played a pivotal role in the execution of these scams, using her programming expertise to build fake websites and manage wire transfers across a network of bank accounts.
Prior to her arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) , Egemasi was based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, and had reportedly met her co-conspirators while traveling in Ghana. Her LinkedIn and Instagram accounts showcased designer clothing, luxury travel, and associations with global brands like BP, Zara, and H&M—claims that authorities have described as fraudulent.
The accused and her co-defendants are currently in federal custody and are awaiting trial in Lexington, Kentucky. If convicted, they each face a maximum sentence of 20 years, as well as hefty fines and possible deportation.
The case highlights growing concerns over transnational cybercrime rings exploiting digital tools and cross-border networks to target U.S. public institutions.