Nigerian national Sapphire Egemasi, dubbed the ‘tech queen’, is facing a potential prison sentence of over 20 years following her arrest by the FBI for allegedly defrauding multiple U.S. government agencies out of millions.
Egemasi, a programmer with a Devpost account, was apprehended around April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York, alongside co-conspirators, including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who is believed to have orchestrated the fraud scheme.
The arrests came after a federal grand jury indicted the group last year on charges of internet fraud and money laundering related to activities that reportedly took place between September 2021 and February 2023.
Court documents reviewed by Peoples Gazette reveal that Egemasi and her co-defendants, who are from Ghana, conspired to steal millions from Kentucky’s city funds. Her specific role involved creating and managing fake websites mimicking U.S. government entities to capture login information.
Officials disclosed that Egemasi had resided in Cambridge, UK, prior to her arrest. It is suspected she connected with her Ghanaian accomplices during her time in West Africa and subsequently became the technological specialist for their fraud operation, which spanned both the U.S. and Nigeria.
She played a crucial role in facilitating the transfer of stolen funds to accounts controlled by the group via wire transactions. Text messages retrieved indicate that the syndicate rerouted $965,000 from Kentucky to a PNC Bank account in August 2022, as well as diverting another $330,000 into an account at Bank of America.
To obscure the origins of her wealth, Egemasi claimed to have held several internships at international corporations, including British Petroleum, H&M, and Zara.
Known for showcasing her lavish lifestyle on LinkedIn, she gained a following as a ‘tech queen’, often posting images from extravagant trips to destinations like Greece and Portugal.
Currently, Egemasi and her co-defendants are in custody, awaiting trial in Lexington, Kentucky, where they each face sentences of up to 20 years, substantial fines, and the possibility of deportation upon completion of their terms.
