The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has placed a $5,000 reward, about N7 million, on a Nigerian fraudster, Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall, who disappeared at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport a day before she was scheduled to begin an eight-year prison sentence for romance fraud.
Hall, 46, a Nigerian citizen and United States permanent resident, was convicted for her role in a sophisticated romance-fraud scheme that targeted mostly elderly American women and defrauded them of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to court records, Hall was sentenced to 96 months, eight years, in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jane Milazzo in January 2026 and was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on or before March 25, 2026, to begin serving her term.
However, she failed to report as directed, triggering a manhunt by federal authorities.
Investigators said data from the GPS monitoring device strapped to her ankle showed that her last known location was Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on March 24, 2026, where the signal abruptly stopped transmitting.
Hall had reportedly informed her probation officer that she was scheduled to board a flight to Minnesota, where she was to serve her sentence, but a check of airline manifests and boarding records showed she never boarded the flight.
Her disappearance has now led to fresh federal charges.
A federal grand jury on October 23, 2026, returned an indictment against Hall for failure to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons to serve her sentence, an offence that carries up to 10 additional years in prison to run consecutively to her existing eight-year term. A federal warrant has since been issued for her arrest.
The FBI, in a wanted notice published on its official website, announced a $5,000 reward for any information that leads directly to the arrest of the fugitive.
“Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons by March 25, 2026, but failed to do so. Her GPS monitor last pinged at Atlanta Airport on March 24. She did not board her scheduled flight to Minnesota,” the Bureau said.
Hall had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a large-scale romance scam syndicate operating between Nigeria and the United States.
Court documents revealed that members of the syndicate posed online as U.S. military generals, philanthropists and successful entrepreneurs, cultivating romantic relationships with victims on dating sites and social media platforms before manipulating them into sending money under various false pretences, including fake medical emergencies, business crises and military leave fees.
Prosecutors said Hall and her co-defendant, Kenneth Akpieyi, laundered the proceeds through a shell company, Le Beau Monde LLC, which was used to process and move victims’ funds.
During her plea, Hall admitted responsibility for $851,207 in losses suffered by her victims, while Akpieyi was held responsible for more than $3.5 million and was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
The FBI said the investigation is ongoing and urged members of the public with information about Hall’s whereabouts to contact their local FBI office or submit tips online at http://tips.fbi.gov.
If convicted on the new failure-to-surrender charge, Hall faces up to 10 additional years behind bars, to be served consecutively to the 96-month sentence she is already evading.