Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian tech enthusiast widely known online as the “tech queen,” has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over her alleged involvement in a sophisticated fraud scheme targeting U.S. government agencies.
Egemasi, a computer programmer and active user on the developer platform Devpost, was taken into custody around April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York. She was arrested alongside several alleged accomplices, including Ghanaian national Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who authorities believe led the criminal operation.
The arrests followed a federal grand jury indictment filed in 2024, which charged the suspects with multiple counts of internet fraud and money laundering. The crimes reportedly occurred between September 2021 and February 2023.
Federal investigators allege that Egemasi and her co-conspirators were involved in defrauding the city of Kentucky of millions of dollars. Egemasi’s role was central to the operation — she allegedly served as the syndicate’s tech lead, developing counterfeit websites that mimicked official U.S. government portals to harvest login credentials and facilitate unauthorized transfers of public funds.
Authorities say Egemasi was based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, prior to her arrest, though she is believed to have previously lived in Ghana, where she is thought to have established ties with her co-defendants.
Investigators claim that in one instance, the group rerouted $965,000 from the Kentucky government into a PNC Bank account. In another transaction, roughly $330,000 was funneled into a Bank of America account. These fraudulent wire transfers were allegedly masked using various laundering techniques.
To legitimize her wealth, Egemasi reportedly portrayed herself online as a successful tech professional, claiming to have interned at prominent multinational companies including British Petroleum, H&M, and Zara. Her social media presence, especially on LinkedIn, showcased an image of a rising star in the tech world, complete with luxury vacations to destinations like Greece and Portugal — trips prosecutors now allege were financed through proceeds from the fraud.
Egemasi and her co-accused face serious federal charges and are currently under investigation as authorities work to trace the full extent of the criminal network.
