The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a Nigerian woman, Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall, who disappeared shortly before she was due to begin an eight-year prison sentence for her role in a romance scam.
As reported by Peoples Gazette, Hall, 46, a Nigerian citizen and permanent resident of the United States, was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 23 for failing to report to prison as directed.
The US Department of Justice said a warrant had been issued for her arrest.
The FBI urged anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact its tip line or submit information through its official website, offering the reward for leads that could result in her capture.
Hall was initially indicted in April 2024 alongside other defendants over allegations of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as money laundering.
She was later arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, and pleaded guilty to her involvement in the scheme.
In January 2026, a US federal judge sentenced her to 96 months in prison and ordered her to report to a designated correctional facility by March 25. She was, however, allowed to remain on bail until the reporting deadline.
Investigators said data from Hall's electronic monitoring device placed her at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 24, a day before she was due to report to prison.
The device subsequently stopped transmitting signals. Although she had supplied her probation officer with flight details for a trip to Minnesota, airline records showed that she did not board the flight.
Court documents revealed that Hall and her co-defendant, Kenneth Akpieyi, targeted mainly elderly women through online romance scams.
Members of the group allegedly posed as military generals, philanthropists or entrepreneurs living abroad, established relationships with victims on social media and persuaded them to transfer money for fictitious charitable activities or medical emergencies.
The documents further stated that Hall and Akpieyi operated a company, Le Beau Monde LLC, which was used to facilitate the scheme.
Hall deposited victims' money into accounts held in the company's name before transferring the funds to other financial institutions, including foreign banks. She admitted responsibility for losses totalling $851,207.
Akpieyi, who was convicted after a four-day jury trial in July 2025, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being held responsible for losses exceeding $3.5m.
Hall faces an additional maximum sentence of 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release if convicted of the new charge of failing to report to prison.
