FBI Arrests 22 Nigerians Over Alleged ‘Sex Scheme’ Linked to Rising Teen Suicides in US
- The FBI has arrested 22 Nigerians in connection with a global sextortion scheme blamed for over 20 teen suicides in the U.S. since 2021
- Operation Artemis, a first-of-its-kind international effort involving law enforcement agencies from Nigeria, Canada, Australia, and the U.K., led to these arrests
- In a statement, the FBI revealed that despite victims' payments, threats often persisted, leading to suicides
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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The FBI has arrested 22 Nigerians allegedly involved in a financially motivated sextortion scheme that has been blamed for more than 20 teen suicides in the United States since 2021.
Source: Getty Images
The agency announced in a statement shared on its website on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
In the report, the arrests were part of a first-of-its-kind global operation, codenamed Artemis, conducted in collaboration with law enforcement agencies in Canada, Australia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom.
As reported by The Punch, the FBI launched Operation Artemis nearly two years ago after receiving thousands of reports of teen boys being coerced into sharing sexually explicit photos online and then extorted with threats of exposure unless they paid.
“As a result of Operation Artemis, FBI investigations led to the arrest of 22 Nigerian subjects, with at least one arrest linked to an American victim who took their own life,” the FBI stated.
In these sextortion schemes, minors, typically boys, are befriended online by individuals posing as young women who persuade them to exchange nude photos.
Once the victims comply, they are demanded to send money to prevent the images from being shared.
Investigators noted that even when victims pay, the demands often persist, and threats escalate.
“Analysis of victims’ phones and social media accounts revealed heartbreaking narratives of young kids enduring panicked negotiations in bids to maintain their privacy,” the FBI said.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported over 34,000 sextortion victims in 2023, rising to more than 54,000 last year, with financial losses totalling nearly $65 million over the past two years.
Sextortion scheme: Suspects speak about their motives
Source: Getty Images
As reported by The Cable, in Nigeria, FBI Special Agent Matthew Crowley interviewed suspects to understand their motives for choosing sextortion over other financial scams, such as romance fraud or business email compromise.
“One subject said, ‘It’s easy money. I can just move on to the next one if I don’t get any traction,” Crowley reported.
She added:
“It makes sense why they would go that route because they could target 40 victims in a day working multiple at a time. And maybe of those 40, three pay. But if three paid $200, that’s $600.”
American kills self over sextortion threats
The devastating impact of these schemes was underscored by an American father whose 16-year-old son died by suicide in 2023 after sextortion threats.
“Everything that he loved, every college ambition he had, every girl he liked, every friend he had—those things were all threatened right then,” the father said.
“Imagine somebody walking into your home in the middle of the night and shooting your son. Well, this person did something even worse than that. He scared him so bad that he shot himself.”
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- Interpol declares 14 Nigerians wanted for human trafficking, and other crimes across countries
Alleged $3.3m fraud: FBI arrests top Nigerian politician in US
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Anambra state government has distanced itself from Franklin Nwadialo, the newly elected chairman of Ogbaru LGA, who was arrested in the US by the FBI for allegedly perpetrating a $3.3 million romance scam.
Law Mefor, the state's commissioner for information, said Nwadialo is not a direct appointee of Governor Soludo.
Mefor said the Anambra state government won't defend him, just as an APGA chieftain speaks on the next political step that may be taken in the absence of the embattled LGA chair.
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Source: Legit.ng
