Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian tech entrepreneur Popularly known as the “Tech Queen,” is currently facing serious legal trouble in the United States. Accused of playing a major role in a multimillion-dollar cyber fraud scheme, she now risks spending up to 20 years behind bars if found guilty. Read Dedails Below..
According to report gathered by GoldenNewsNg , the Tech Queen was arrested after a federal grand jury in 2024 indicted her, along with several others, on charges related to internet fraud and money laundering.
Sapphire Egemasi who is software programmer and self-proclaimed ‘tech queen’, Sapphire Egemasi, is facing up to 20 years in federal prison after being arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over her alleged involvement in a transnational fraud syndicate that defrauded multiple U.S. government agencies of millions of dollars.
Egemasi, who gained attention for showcasing a lavish lifestyle on social media and claiming ties to major tech companies, was reportedly arrested around April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York.
Her arrest came after a federal grand jury indictment filed in 2024, which accused her and several accomplices of engaging in internet fraud and money laundering. The alleged crimes were said to have occurred between September 2021 and February 2023.
Court documents obtained by Peoples Gazette reveal that Egemasi played a central role in a highly coordinated cybercrime ring allegedly headed by Ghanaian national, Samuel Kwadwo Osei.
The syndicate reportedly targeted U.S. municipal bodies—such as the city government of Kentucky—by deploying phishing attacks and creating spoofed websites to harvest login credentials and divert public funds into fraudulent accounts.
Egemasi’s contribution to the operation involved using her programming expertise to craft fake websites that closely resembled official U.S. government portals.
The fraudulent websites deceived employees into handing over secure login credentials, which the cybercrime group then used to gain access to internal systems and drain public funds.
Investigators allege that Egemasi played a vital role not only in setting up these deceptive platforms but also in laundering the stolen money by facilitating wire transfers through multiple bank accounts.
One court document described how the syndicate successfully diverted $965,000 from the city government of Kentucky to a PNC Bank account they controlled in August 2022.
In a separate case, the group allegedly transferred $330,000 into a Bank of America account. These transfers were disguised to appear legitimate, making it more difficult for financial institutions to detect the fraud.
Federal prosecutors allege that before her arrest, Sapphire Egemasi lived in Cambridge, United Kingdom, and had previously spent time in Ghana, where she is believed to have connected with members of the cybercrime syndicate. She later became the group’s lead tech expert, overseeing the technical execution of their schemes from abroad.
To legitimize her sudden wealth, investigators say Egemasi fabricated claims of internships at well-known companies like British Petroleum (BP), H&M, and Zara. These statements, designed to enhance her credibility and avoid scrutiny, were ultimately found to be baseless.
Across platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram, Egemasi built a polished image as a thriving tech entrepreneur. Her social media showcased luxury fashion, the latest tech devices, and snapshots from global travel to places like France, Greece, and Portugal. Her carefully maintained persona gained her a loyal following among young African professionals, many of whom looked up to her as a symbol of digital success.
But as the FBI dug deeper, a very different reality emerged. Authorities now claim that her lavish lifestyle was financed almost entirely through proceeds from cyber fraud, targeting vulnerabilities in public sector financial systems.
Egemasi and her alleged accomplices, many of them Ghanaian nationals, are currently in federal custody and will face trial in Lexington, Kentucky. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison, hefty financial penalties, and possible deportation after serving their sentences.
