A Nigerian national and US permanent resident, Emuobosan Emanuella Hall, has been declared wanted after failing to turn herself in to begin serving an eight-year prison sentence linked to a romance scam, exposing her to an additional decade behind bars.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana disclosed that a federal arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, after Hall did not comply with an order to surrender to authorities.
According to the office, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Phillips Currault authorised the criminal complaint and warrant following her failure to report as directed.
United States Attorney David I. Courcelle confirmed that Hall, sentenced earlier in January 2026, is currently on the run.
Details were contained in a statement released by Public Information Officer Shane Jones on April 14, 2026.
The statement noted that Hall missed her March 25, 2026 deadline to report to the Bureau of Prisons and has since “evaded custody.”
The complaint outlined that “Hall was initially charged in April 2024 by a federal grand jury in New Orleans with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“She was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, granted bond, and later pleaded guilty.
“In January 2026, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced her to 96 months in prison but permitted her to remain on bond with instructions to report to a designated Bureau of Prisons facility by March 25, 2026.”
Authorities said she failed to honour that directive.
Investigators further revealed that “GPS data from her monitoring device placed her last known location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 24, 2026, where the device stopped transmitting.
“Although she had provided her probation officer with flight details to Minnesota, airline records show she did not board the flight.
“Phone records instead suggest she traveled to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.
“Court filings show Hall pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud mostly older women through a romance scam.
“Her co-defendant, Kenneth G. Akpieyi of Marietta, Georgia, was convicted after a four-day jury trial in July 2025 and later sentenced by Judge Milazzo to 25 years in prison,” the warrant for her arrest disclosed.
Court proceedings showed that the syndicate impersonated high-profile individuals such as military generals, philanthropists, and business figures living abroad, reaching victims through Facebook and Instagram before shifting conversations to encrypted platforms like WhatsApp.
Victims were then manipulated into sending funds under false pretences, including claims of charity projects or urgent medical needs.
Prosecutors stated that Hall worked with her accomplice through a firm, Le Beau Monde LLC, which was used to channel proceeds of the fraud. She reportedly handled deposits from victims and moved funds across various accounts, including overseas transfers.
She admitted responsibility for losses amounting to $851,207, while her co-conspirator, Akpieyi, was linked to over $3.5 million. He is currently serving his prison term in federal custody.
“Our office will vigorously enforce the law, particularly when a defendant fails to report to prison to serve her sentence,” Courcelle said.
“Her failure to report to prison reflects an utter lack of respect for the law. HALL was sentenced for her role in defrauding women, often of money that they had saved for their retirement.
“Our office will continue to prosecute fraud wherever it occurs, especially when criminals exploit vulnerable victims,” the statement added.
Authorities warned that if found guilty of failing to report, Hall “faces up to 10 additional years in prison to be served consecutively to her existing sentence, along with a possible fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.”
The statement also credited the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office with conducting the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne, Senior Litigation Counsel, is prosecuting the case.
