{"id":23248,"date":"2025-06-19T14:25:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T13:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=23248"},"modified":"2025-06-19T14:25:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T13:25:13","slug":"viral-fbi-mugshot-of-arrested-tech-queen-sapphire-altered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/viral-fbi-mugshot-of-arrested-tech-queen-sapphire-altered\/","title":{"rendered":"Viral FBI mugshot of arrested tech queen Sapphire, altered"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Claim: A TikTok<\/a> user claimed via video<\/a> that the United States government had released the mugshot of the arrested tech queen, Sapphire.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: False. DUBAWA\u2019s investigation shows that the image in question has not been used by any media outlets to report her arrest by the FBI, nor has there been any report confirming the release of her mugshot to the public.\u00a0We discovered the image was AI-generated. Meanwhile, Sapphire was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, not 40 years as the claimant portrayed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sapphire Egemasi, a 28-year-old Nigerian developer<\/a>, alongside her accomplice, a Ghanaian national, Samuel Kwadwo, were arrested in April 2025 following a coordinated cyber operation targeting the United States (US)  government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report, their clandestine operations were carried out via syndicate design and use of fake websites mimicking official domains of American government agencies to swindle vulnerable citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, on Saturday, June 7, 2025, a TikTok user named 9ja gossip<\/a> shared a video<\/a> with Sapphire’s mugshot. The user claimed the US government released the mugshot immediately after her arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video, which accumulated over 19,000 likes, 966 comments, 1250 bookmarks, and 920 reposts as of Monday, June 16, 2025, was captioned, \u201cUS release mugshot of tech queen A.K.A  female Hushpupi and she was smiling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the comment section featured diverse opinions about the issue and the image. While some believed the image to be real, others questioned her facial expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One user, Queen<\/a>, asked, \u201cPerson wey dey prison dey smile?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another comment by the_informant<\/a> reads, “Tech queen is smiling for her prison vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, Eudorah asserted, \u201cIs she supposed to be crying? She is already in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days later, the same TikTok account uploaded another video<\/a> with Sapphire’s mugshot, claiming that her sentence has been extended to 40 years, contrary to the initial 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the same time frame, the same image with different captions was shared on X (here<\/a> and here<\/a>) and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noticing the institution involved in the case and the scepticism surrounding her facial expression in the comment section, DUBAWA decided to verify the image’s provenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verification<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The smile on her face, which raised suspicions among users in the comment section, alongside the background of the shared image, are strong red flags questioning the image\u2019s authenticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So DUBAWA subjected the image to a reverse image search on Google and Yandex. Results led us to social media platforms where similar images had been uploaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were unable to find a match to understand the context of the shared image, so DUBAWA carried out an extensive keyword search on both national and international outlets that reported the story. We found no news report on Sapphire\u2019s mugshot’s release. Instead, credible media organisations used a particular selfie image to report the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, during our keyword search, we came across a similar image that bears a striking facial resemblance with the circulating mugshot of Sapphire but with a different outfit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our first observation reveals that both images have similar hairdos and the same direction of hair styling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A screenshot comparing the similarities in the hairdo in both images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, DUBAWA zoomed in on both images and noticed similarities in the lighting on their foreheads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Screenshot comparing the lightning and positioning of the forehead in both pictures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, DUBAWA also observed that both images, when compared, feature similar smile stretches on the lip and eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Screenshots of the eye stretch on the left, while that of the lip is on the right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Noticing the similarities in both images, which raised doubts about the authenticity of the claimant\u2019s mugshot, DUBAWA subjected the image to Hive Moderation<\/a>, an AI image detector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outcome<\/a> of this verification indicated a 99 per cent likelihood of the image being AI-generated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Screenshots of Hive Moderation\u2019s result.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Investigating further, we scoured credible media outlets for the release of the tech queen\u2019s mugshot, but the results came back empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to the user’s assertion that Sapphire would face 40 years if convicted, credible news reports here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a> revealed she would face up to 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DUBAWA\u2019s investigation reveals that the image has a high percentage of being generated by AI, and no credible media outlet has published any report regarding the release of her mugshot. Moreover, if convicted, reports note that Sapphire would face a prison sentence of up to 20 years, not 40 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Claim: A TikTok user claimed via video that the United States government had released the mugshot of the arrested tech queen, Sapphire. Verdict: False. DUBAWA\u2019s investigation shows that the image in question has not been used by any media outlets to report her arrest by the FBI, nor has there been any report confirming the release of her mugshot to the public.\u00a0We discovered the image was AI-generated. Meanwhile, Sapphire was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, not 40 years as the claimant portrayed. Full Text Sapphire Egemasi, a 28-year-old Nigerian developer, alongside her accomplice, a Ghanaian national, Samuel Kwadwo, were arrested in April 2025 following a coordinated cyber operation targeting the United States (US)  government. According to the report, their clandestine operations were carried out via syndicate design and use of fake websites mimicking official domains of American government agencies to swindle vulnerable citizens. Subsequently, on Saturday, June 7, 2025, a TikTok user named 9ja gossip shared a video with Sapphire’s mugshot. The user claimed the US government released the mugshot immediately after her arrest. The video, which accumulated over 19,000 likes, 966 comments, 1250 bookmarks, and 920 reposts as of Monday, June 16, 2025, was captioned, \u201cUS release mugshot of tech queen A.K.A  female Hushpupi and she was smiling.\u201d Meanwhile, the comment section featured diverse opinions about the issue and the image. While some believed the image to be real, others questioned her facial expression. One user, Queen, asked, \u201cPerson wey dey prison dey smile?\u201d  Another comment by the_informant reads, “Tech queen is smiling for her prison vacation.\u201d Also, Eudorah asserted, \u201cIs she supposed to be crying? She is already in trouble.\u201d Days later, the same TikTok account uploaded another video with Sapphire’s mugshot, claiming that her sentence has been extended to 40 years, contrary to the initial 20 years. During the same time frame, the same image with different captions was shared on X (here and here) and Facebook. Noticing the institution involved in the case and the scepticism surrounding her facial expression in the comment section, DUBAWA decided to verify the image’s provenance. Verification  The smile on her face, which raised suspicions among users in the comment section, alongside the background of the shared image, are strong red flags questioning the image\u2019s authenticity. So DUBAWA subjected the image to a reverse image search on Google and Yandex. Results led us to social media platforms where similar images had been uploaded. We were unable to find a match to understand the context of the shared image, so DUBAWA carried out an extensive keyword search on both national and international outlets that reported the story. We found no news report on Sapphire\u2019s mugshot’s release. Instead, credible media organisations used a particular selfie image to report the story. Meanwhile, during our keyword search, we came across a similar image that bears a striking facial resemblance with the circulating mugshot of Sapphire but with a different outfit.  Our first observation reveals that both images have similar hairdos and the same direction of hair styling. Secondly, DUBAWA zoomed in on both images and noticed similarities in the lighting on their foreheads. Furthermore, DUBAWA also observed that both images, when compared, feature similar smile stretches on the lip and eyes. Noticing the similarities in both images, which raised doubts about the authenticity of the claimant\u2019s mugshot, DUBAWA subjected the image to Hive Moderation, an AI image detector. The outcome of this verification indicated a 99 per cent likelihood of the image being AI-generated. Investigating further, we scoured credible media outlets for the release of the tech queen\u2019s mugshot, but the results came back empty. Contrary to the user’s assertion that Sapphire would face 40 years if convicted, credible news reports here, here, and here revealed she would face up to 20 years. Conclusion  DUBAWA\u2019s investigation reveals that the image has a high percentage of being generated by AI, and no credible media outlet has published any report regarding the release of her mugshot. Moreover, if convicted, reports note that Sapphire would face a prison sentence of up to 20 years, not 40 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,3812,3815,123],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[4055],"class_list":["post-23248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-homepage","category-mainstream"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-62Y","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":4055,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"miracle-akubuo","display_name":"Miracle Akubuo","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Sapphire.png?fit=624%2C310&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23252,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23248\/revisions\/23252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23248"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=23248"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=23248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}