A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Emuobosan Emanuella Hall after she failed to surrender for an eight-year prison sentence following her conviction in a major romance fraud and money laundering scheme.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Phillips Currault has signed a criminal complaint and issued a federal arrest warrant for Emuobosan Emanuella Hall, 45, after she failed to report to the Bureau of Prisons to begin an eight-year sentence. Hall, a Nigerian national and U.S. permanent resident, was scheduled to surrender by March 25, 2026, following her conviction for orchestrating a romance fraud and money laundering scheme. U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle confirmed on Tuesday that Hall remains at large and has officially “evaded custody,” a move that now exposes her to an additional 10-year prison term for the failure to surrender.
The legal proceedings against Hall began in April 2024 when a federal grand jury in New Orleans charged her with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering. Following her arrest in Atlanta, Georgia, she was granted bond and subsequently entered a guilty plea. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the scheme involved significant financial exploitation, leading to her initial 96-month sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo in January 2026.
Despite her conviction, the court had allowed Hall to remain free on bond with specific orders to report to a designated facility last month. According to the criminal complaint, “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 are now appealing to the public for information regarding her whereabouts as federal agents continue the search.