FBI offers $5,000 for information on Nigerian woman who disappeared before jail term

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has placed a $5,000 reward on information that could lead to the arrest of Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall, a 46-year-old Nigerian woman who failed to report to prison to begin an eight-year sentence for her involvement in an online romance fraud scheme.

As reported by Peoples Gazette, the US Department of Justice disclosed that Hall was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 23, 2026, over her failure to comply with a court order directing her to commence her prison term.

Authorities said she remains at large, with an arrest warrant issued against her.

The FBI appealed to members of the public who may know Hall’s whereabouts to provide information through its tip line or official online reporting platform.

The agency said the reward would be paid for information leading to her arrest.

Hall, a Nigerian citizen and permanent resident of the United States, was indicted in April 2024 on charges relating to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money. She was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, and later pleaded guilty to her role in the criminal operation.

In January 2026, a federal judge sentenced her to 96 months in prison but allowed her to remain on bail temporarily.

She was directed to report to a designated federal correctional facility by March 25, 2026, but failed to meet the deadline.

Investigators traced Hall’s last known location to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 24, 2026, using data from her electronic monitoring device.

The device stopped functioning around that time.

Although she had informed her probation officer that she would travel to Minnesota, where she was expected to serve her sentence, airline records indicated that she never boarded the scheduled flight.

Court records showed that Hall and her co-defendant, Kenneth Akpieyi, participated in a scheme that deceived predominantly elderly women through fake online romantic relationships.

The fraudsters reportedly posed as military officers, wealthy entrepreneurs or philanthropists based outside the US, built relationships with their targets on social media and subsequently requested money for fabricated emergencies or charitable projects.

Investigators said Hall and Akpieyi used a company, Le Beau Monde LLC, to handle money obtained from victims.

Hall received funds through accounts registered in the company’s name before transferring them to other financial institutions, including overseas banks.

She accepted responsibility for $851,207 in losses arising from the scheme.

Akpieyi was convicted following a four-day trial in July 2025 and subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the operation.

He was held responsible for losses exceeding $3.5m.

Hall, meanwhile, could receive an additional prison term of up to 10 years, a fine of $250,000 and as much as three years of supervised release if convicted of the separate charge of failing to report to prison.