The United States Marshals Service has released detailed information on the arrest and detention of former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, following a request made under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Reports of her arrest first emerged on January 16, 2026, indicating that she was being held at the Nevada Southern Detention Centre in the United States.
Ms Tamakloe-Attionu was sentenced in April 2024 to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after being convicted on 78 counts, including causing financial loss to the state, stealing, conspiracy to steal, money laundering and breaches of the Public Procurement Act.
She fled to the United States before the conclusion of her criminal trial in Ghana and was subsequently tried in absentia.
Documents released by the U.S. Marshals Service provide a detailed, step-by-step account of how her arrest was carried out.
According to the unclassified law-enforcement sensitive records, an arrest warrant was issued on December 12, 2025, by the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, citing her status as a fugitive from the Republic of Ghana following her conviction on embezzlement-related charges and Ghana’s request for extradition.
The documents show that a Deputy United States Marshal was assigned to the case on the same day the warrant was issued.
On January 6, 2026, members of the Nevada Violent Offenders Task Force located Ms Tamakloe-Attionu at her residence. At about 2:30 p.m., officers positively identified her after she briefly opened and closed her front door.
Around 3:05 p.m., task force officers approached the residence to execute the arrest warrant. After following knock-and-announce procedures, she opened the door and was taken into custody without incident.
She was restrained, searched at the scene and transported in a task force vehicle to the Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas. She was later conveyed by U.S. Marshals to the Henderson Detention Centre, a facility contracted by the U.S. Marshals Service, where she was held overnight.
On January 7, 2026, officers from the Henderson Police Department transported her back to the Federal Courthouse at about 8:30 a.m., where she was formally booked into U.S. Marshals Service custody.
Some names and operational details in the documents were redacted in accordance with FOIA provisions. The U.S. Marshals Service said the information was approved for public release after determining that the redacted sections required protection.
Background:
Ms Tamakloe-Attionu was convicted alongside former MASLOC Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Axim, who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The two were prosecuted for offences committed between 2013 and 2016, involving the misappropriation of funds meant for MASLOC operations. The trial, which began in 2019, saw the prosecution call six witnesses.
While Ms Tamakloe-Attionu absconded after being granted permission by the court to seek medical treatment abroad, Mr Axim stood trial in person but did not call any witnesses.
Among the offences established by the court was the withdrawal of GH¢500,000 as a loan to Obaatampa Savings and Loans Company, which was later demanded back after the institution declined a proposed 24 per cent interest rate. Although the amount was refunded, it was not reflected in MASLOC’s accounts.
The court also found that more than GH¢1.7 million allocated for a sensitisation exercise was misappropriated. MASLOC was expected to pay GH¢20 each to 85,300 beneficiaries, but only GH¢1,300 was used for the intended purpose.
In addition, only GH¢579,800 out of GH¢1.4 million earmarked for victims of the Kantamanso inferno was disbursed, with the remainder unlawfully appropriated.
The case further involved inflated procurement costs for vehicles and Samsung mobile phones, with evidence showing that prices paid exceeded prevailing market rates despite bulk purchases.
