Nigerian man arrested while trying to catch a flight home over wire money

A Nigerian man, caught trying to catch a flight home, is in the process of being extradited from Washington to Stamford, where he will face charges that he illegally intercepted a $30,000 wire transfer from Purdue Pharma, police said.

According to Port of Seattle Police, Emmanuel Mong, 24, of Savannah, Georgia, was trying to catch an Emirates Airlines flight to Nigeria on Dec. 16 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Seeing there was a felony warrant in his name, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained him until police arrived at Sea-Tac Airport.

According to the report, Stamford police issued a warrant for Mong’s arrest in 2017, charging him with first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree computer crime and conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, with a court-ordered appearance bond of $250,000.

Despite his protests that he has never lived in Georgia and claims that he is not the person wanted in the warrant, Mong is being extradited to Stamford.

His Stamford criminal defense attorney, Allan Friedman, said Mong is eager to clear his name.

“Mr. Mong is looking forward to coming to Stamford and having his day in court and presenting evidence of his innocence,” Friedman said. “We will resolve this matter in court.”