A young Nigerian software programmer and self-styled “Tech Queen,” Sapphire Egemasi, is currently facing serious legal trouble in the United States after being arrested by the FBI for her alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme targeting U.S. government agencies.
The arrest reportedly took place around April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York, according to Peoples Gazette. Egemasi is accused of using her tech skills to help run a cybercrime syndicate that defrauded U.S. city governments and laundered the stolen funds across multiple banks.
Popular on social media for flaunting an expensive lifestyle, tech gadgets, and international travels, Sapphire had built a large following as an inspirational figure for many young Nigerians in tech. She claimed to have interned with global brands like BP, Zara, and H&M, although U.S. investigators say those claims were false and part of her strategy to appear legitimate.
Egemasi was known to many in Nigeria and Ghana’s tech circles as a “techpreneur,” often posting about software projects, designer outfits, and vacations in Greece, Portugal, and France. But according to U.S. authorities, her luxury lifestyle was funded not by tech deals, but by fraud.
Court documents show Egemasi was part of a transnational fraud syndicate, allegedly led by a Ghanaian national, Samuel Kwadwo Osei. Between September 2021 and February 2023, the group reportedly targeted several U.S. public institutions, including the government of Kentucky, by using phishing tactics and cloned websites to trick employees into giving up sensitive login information.
Her specific role? Designing fake websites that mimicked U.S. government portals, which fooled unsuspecting employees into handing over credentials. These credentials were then used to divert public funds into fraudulent bank accounts.
In one documented incident, nearly $965,000 (about ₦1.4 billion) was illegally diverted from a U.S. government account to a PNC Bank account controlled by the group. In another case, $330,000 was moved to Bank of America using similar tactics.
Beyond designing the fraudulent platforms, Sapphire is also accused of helping the group launder the stolen money using wire transfers across multiple banks. Investigators say she had previously lived in the UK and Ghana, and was considered the syndicate’s primary tech expert.
This case has drawn attention in both Nigerian and Ghanaian tech spaces, especially because Sapphire had become something of a role model for many young women entering the male-dominated tech industry.
Egemasi and her co-accused are currently being held in federal custody and are expected to stand trial in Lexington, Kentucky. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison, heavy fines, and possible deportation after serving their sentences.
Sapphire’s story is being seen as a cautionary tale in Nigeria’s growing tech scene. While tech has created new paths for wealth and empowerment, this case shows how easily the line between innovation and criminal exploitation can be crossed.
The Nigerian government has not yet commented on the arrest, but sources say international cooperation between U.S. and African authorities was key in building the case.
As the trial unfolds, Nigerians at home and abroad are watching closely, many stunned that someone who was once considered a rising star in African tech now faces a lengthy prison sentence in the U.S.
