The United States has secured the extradition of five individuals accused of leading operations for the Black Axe cybercrime syndicate, a transnational organization responsible for large-scale financial fraud schemes. Perry Osagiede, Franklyn Osagiede, Osariemen Clement, Collins Otughwor, and Musa Mudashiru now face federal charges including wire fraud and money laundering.
According to prosecutors, the five defendants coordinated an internet fraud operation based in Cape Town spanning from 2011 to 2021. Their scheme combined advance fee fraud with romance scams, targeting victims primarily in the United States. The group employed multiple aliases, leveraged social media platforms and online dating websites, and used VoIP phone numbers to establish contact with targets and convince them they were engaged in romantic relationships.
Once victims declined to send money voluntarily, the defendants allegedly escalated their tactics through coercion. Manipulation methods included threatening to distribute intimate photographs online and employing other intimidation strategies to force payments.
Black Axe is a notoriously violent transnational criminal organization that also happens to dabble in romance scams to make money. The ability of FBI Newark and our partner agencies to reach into South Africa illustrates our resolve to hold accountable any and every type of fraudster who preys on innocent victims here in the United States.
FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy
South African authorities arrested the five defendants in 2021 following a request from the United States. Their extradition to the US was completed on September 11, 2026. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years imprisonment for wire fraud, an additional 20 years for money laundering, and two additional years for aggravated identity theft.
The extraditions represent part of a broader international enforcement push against Black Axe operations. Last month, law enforcement agencies spanning 22 countries arrested 58 individuals and identified 263 additional suspects connected to cybercrime networks run by African criminal groups during "Operation Jackal IV," a coordinated effort targeting the Black Axe organization. Spanish authorities separately arrested 34 individuals suspected of participating in a cyber fraud network affiliated with Black Axe.
Black Axe emerged in Nigeria in 1977 and has evolved into one of the world's most extensive and dangerous cybercrime operations. The organization maintains an elaborate infrastructure encompassing money mules, facilitators, and approximately 30,000 registered members across multiple countries.
The prosecutions underscore ongoing efforts to dismantle the organization's financial operations. In January 2024, the United States sentenced Black Axe member Olugbenga Lawal to ten years in prison for laundering millions of dollars that Black Axe operatives had stolen from elderly Americans through internet fraud schemes.