US Court Denies Bail to Nigerian Woman Convicted of Aiding Yahoo Boys, Orders Continued ICE Detention
A U.S. District Court in Minnesota has declined a request for bail filed by convicted Nigerian fraud accomplice Ijeoma Mbonu Chanthavong, PulseNets learnt from court documents. Chanthavong was found guilty of helping Yahoo Boys move proceeds of fraud from her U.S.-based bank account to financial institutions in Nigeria.
Chanthavong, who has been in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security since December 2025 pending deportation, pleaded guilty in April 2022 to conspiracy to commit international money laundering after U.S. authorities uncovered her involvement and arraigned her before a federal court.
PulseNets reported that the Nigerian woman arrived in the United States in 2017 on a B-2 visitor visa and later gave birth to a child on U.S. soil. Investigators said she acted as an intermediary between two Yahoo Boys and their victims, many of whom were targeted through romance scams and business email compromise schemes. Her role involved receiving fraudulent payments into her personal bank account and forwarding the funds to internet fraudsters operating from Nigeria.
After entering a guilty plea, Chanthavong agreed in October 2022 to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors by providing information on the fraud network in exchange for immigration relief that would allow her to remain in the country.
She later told U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that her cooperation placed her life at risk, claiming the fraudsters she exposed had vowed to kill her should she be forced to return to Nigeria.
Court records obtained by PulseNets quoted officials as stating: “In connection with her conviction, she provided substantial assistance to the government and, as a result, is in danger of retaliation from individuals engaged in fraud schemes who have threatened to kill her if she returns to Nigeria.”
On that basis, her request for employment authorisation was approved in June 2024, temporarily allowing her to stay in the United States.
However, PulseNets learnt that the reprieve was short-lived. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents re-arrested Chanthavong on December 4, 2025, citing her earlier conviction for international money laundering as grounds for deportation.
Facing imminent removal, she filed an asylum application while still in detention, as ICE processed her deportation paperwork.
On December 22, 2025, ICE issued a Final Administrative Order of Removal directing her deportation to Nigeria. Chanthavong responded by approaching the federal court, suing U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE, and other senior officials.
She argued that her detention was unlawful and that ICE could not immediately deport her because, according to her claim, “Nigeria has not agreed to accept her and because her removal would be invalid due to her pending immigration applications.”
PulseNets reported that she also filed a habeas corpus petition on December 29, 2025, before the U.S. District Court in Minnesota, seeking a court order compelling ICE to justify her detention and requesting release on bail.
Federal authorities opposed her application, pointing to her money laundering conviction and insisting that the immigration consequences outlined in her 2022 plea agreement rendered her removable.
Court filings obtained by PulseNets stated: “Respondents assert that because of Ijeoma C.’s prior conviction for money laundering, she was not entitled to a bond hearing and was subject to mandatory detention.”
ICE further informed the court that Chanthavong had been fully aware of the immigration implications of her guilty plea, noting that the offence was classified as an aggravated felony under U.S. law.
Her plea agreement explicitly read: “The defendant understands that pleading guilty may have consequences with respect to her immigration status, including removal or deportation.”
After reviewing her submissions and the 2022 plea deal, District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan agreed with federal authorities that her conviction qualified as an aggravated felony and confirmed that she was legally deportable.
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The judge consequently denied her bail application, a ruling that keeps her in ICE custody and clears the path for her removal from the United States.
Delivering the decision on January 13, the court ruled: “It is hereby ordered that Ijeoma C.’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus is denied; and this action is dismissed without prejudice.”
