U.S. authorities have declared a Nigerian national wanted after she failed to report to prison to serve an eight-year sentence for romance fraud, a move that could add 10 years to her jail time.
Emuobosan Emanuella Hall, a U.S. permanent resident, was due to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on March 25, 2026, but never showed up, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana said.
U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle confirmed that Magistrate Judge Donna Phillips Currault signed a criminal complaint and federal arrest warrant on April 14, 2026, after Hall absconded.
Investigators said data from her monitoring device last placed her at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 24, where the signal cut off. Hall had told authorities she would fly to Minnesota, but airline records show she never boarded. Phone data suggests she may have traveled toward Washington, D.C.
Hall pleaded guilty in January 2026 to a transnational romance scam that targeted mostly older women. Prosecutors said she and co-conspirator Kenneth G. Akpieyi posed as military officers and philanthropists on social media to trick victims into sending money.
The pair used Le Beau Monde LLC to move illicit funds through multiple accounts, including overseas. Hall admitted to losses exceeding $851,000. Akpieyi was convicted at trial and sentenced to 25 years, tied to over $3.5 million in fraud.
“Her failure to report to prison demonstrated blatant disregard for the law,” Courcelle said, vowing to pursue the case.
If caught and convicted for failing to surrender, Hall faces up to 10 more years in prison, plus fines and supervised release, separate from her eight-year term.
The FBI investigated the case. Prosecutors said they will continue targeting fraud schemes that exploit vulnerable individuals.
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