A former United States Department of Defence employee, Samuel Marcus, has been arrested and faces up to 100 years in prison for allegedly assisting Nigeria-based fraudsters launder millions of dollars through a sophisticated transnational scheme.
Naija News reports that the 33-year-old was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, six counts of illegal monetary transactions, and one count of money laundering and illegal concealment.
Authorities allege that Marcus, who worked as a Logistics Specialist with the Department of Defence, acted as a “money mule” for online scammers operating out of Nigeria between July 2023 and December 2025.
According to prosecutors, the Nigeria-based syndicate, using aliases such as ‘Rachel Jude’ and ‘Ned McMurray’, specialised in romance scams, cyber fraud, tax fraud, financing fraud, and business email compromise schemes targeting U.S. victims, resulting in multimillion-dollar losses.
Marcus allegedly received proceeds from these fraudulent activities into his personal and business accounts and transferred the funds to accounts controlled by the criminal network in Nigeria. Investigators also claim he helped convert stolen funds into cryptocurrency and opened bank accounts for other accomplices.
Despite reportedly being warned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the illicit nature of the funds, Marcus allegedly continued collaborating with the syndicate.
If convicted on all counts, Marcus faces a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million, U.S. prosecutors said.
This case highlights the continued reach of Nigeria-based cyber fraud networks and the efforts of U.S. authorities to clamp down on transnational money laundering operations.
