Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian tech enthusiast widely known online as the “tech queen,” has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for her alleged involvement in a large-scale internet fraud and money laundering scheme targeting U.S. government agencies.
Egemasi, a programmer with a public presence on platforms like Devpost, was taken into custody around April 10, 2025, in Bronx, New York, alongside several alleged co-conspirators. Among them was Samuel Kwadwo Osei, a Ghanaian national believed to be the mastermind behind the operation.
The arrests stem from a federal grand jury indictment filed in 2024, accusing the group of carrying out cybercrimes between September 2021 and February 2023. Prosecutors claim the syndicate created fake government websites to harvest credentials and redirect millions of dollars into their controlled bank accounts.
As the technical lead, Egemasi allegedly built the spoof websites and coordinated illegal wire transfers. In August 2022 alone, the group reportedly rerouted $965,000 into a PNC Bank account and another $330,000 into a Bank of America account.
Investigators also revealed that Egemasi was based in Cambridge, UK, before her arrest and had connections in Ghana, where she allegedly built ties with other members of the syndicate.
To legitimize her income and public image, Egemasi claimed to have interned with global brands like British Petroleum, H\&M, and Zara, while flaunting a luxury lifestyle on social media with trips to destinations such as Greece and Portugal.Prosecutors allege these vacations were funded through fraud.
She and her co-defendants are now in federal custody and will face trial in Lexington, Kentucky. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison, significant fines, and potential deportation following their sentences.
