“Black Axe is a notoriously violent transnational criminal organization that also happens to dabble in romance scams to make money,” Stefanie Roddy, special agent in charge of the FBI Newark field office, said in a statement.
The five accused from Black Axe’s Cape Town Zone
Five men authorities describe as leaders of Black Axe’s South African operations were extradited to the United States on Friday to face federal charges. All five are originally from Nigeria and were arrested in South Africa in 2021. They were due Monday for initial court appearances and arraignments in federal court in Trenton, N.J.
- Perry Osagiede — identified as founder and leader of the Cape Town Zone of Black Axe;
- Franklyn Edosa Osagiede — described as the zone’s “chief ihaza”;
- Osariemen Eric Clement — described as “assistant eye of the zone”;
- Collins Owhofasa Otughwor — described as the zone’s “chief eye”; and
- Musa Mudashiru — identified as one of the group’s “assistant butchers.”
Charges, counts, and potential penalties
The Justice Department charged all five defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors added other counts for individual defendants: Perry Osagiede and Franklyn Osagiede face separate charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft; Clement is charged with wire fraud; and Otughwor is charged with aggravated identity theft. The combined charges carry up to 62 years in prison, according to the unsealed indictment filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey in 2021.
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See what we buildModus operandi: romance and advance-fee schemes, account takeover, and extortion
Prosecutors say the alleged Cape Town Zone members and co-conspirators ran romance scams and advance-fee scams from at least 2011 until their arrests in 2021. Using fake identities, they purported to be a love interest, a relative, a business partner or a friend to induce victims to send money. Many of the schemes hinged on appeals for loans or emergency funds tied to staged events — work travel problems, construction-site issues, delayed inheritances or expensive health costs for claimed relatives.
According to the indictment, co-conspirators also set up business entities and gained access to victims’ financial accounts to conceal and launder funds taken from other victims. In some cases, when victims hesitated, alleged Black Axe members threatened to distribute sensitive photos.
Law enforcement cooperation, prior operations, and public outreach
The extraditions came amid a sustained, multi-country law enforcement push against Black Axe. Authorities arrested 34 alleged cybercriminals in Spain in January — including some Black Axe leaders — in operations targeting adversary-in-the-middle scams such as business email compromise, money laundering and vehicle trafficking. In August, officials said they seized millions in assets, arrested 58 individuals and identified 263 suspects, including members of Black Axe, in a coordinated multi-country sting.
Craig Marech, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Newark field office, described the prosecutions as the product of a “years-long effort” by the Secret Service and partners to identify and bring to justice those who “allegedly preyed on victims through sophisticated online fraud and money laundering schemes.” The Justice Department has published additional information about the Cape Town Zone, including multiple aliases and business entities used by the group’s members, and encouraged potential victims to contact the FBI.
How victims and U.S. law enforcement are positioned
Victims: The Justice Department’s publication of aliases and business entities tied to the Cape Town Zone is aimed at enabling recognition and reporting; the department has specifically encouraged potential victims to contact the FBI.
U.S. law enforcement: The FBI Newark and the U.S. Secret Service’s Newark field office portray the extraditions as part of long-running, international investigations. The immediate prosecutorial steps are the defendants’ initial appearances and arraignments in Trenton, N.J., where the unsealed indictment will proceed through the federal court process.
The extradition of five alleged Cape Town Zone leaders marks a consequential move in a larger campaign that, officials say, has identified hundreds of suspects and seized millions in assets. The next concrete milestone is the federal court process in Trenton; how these prosecutions will affect a group that officials describe as “highly structured, hierarchical” and said to generate “billions of dollars in criminal proceeds annually” will play out in court and in subsequent international enforcement actions.
