All eight convicts were arraigned before Justices Chinyere Nwecheonu, A. A Akobi A.I. Kutigi and V.S Garba by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abuja Zonal Command on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
Five of the convicts, Emmanuel Ogochukwu, Ugochukwu Mathias and Aderele Adekunle, Abdullahi Adebola Ayinde, and Matthew Ushie Adie, were prosecuted before Justice Nwecheonwu of the FCT High Court, Kuje on one count each.
Ogochukwu, who pretended to be Kob Sook Dennis, defrauded one Yen Tran via the Facebook platform.
Ugochukwu pretended to be Arjun Sharma on Instagram and defrauded unsuspecting females of the sum of $400.
Aderele, pretending to be one Finalisa, the daughter of one Lee Bruce, a contractor from Hong Kong, obtained the sum of 3000 RMB, while Abdullahi created an Instagram account in the name of an American actor, Tom Cruise, and in that assumed character obtained the sum of $80 from one Anne Line Bergh alias Sarafina Carly, a Norwegian citizen.
Justice Nwecheonu sentenced all five defendants to one year in prison with options of fines, with Emmanuel Ogochukwu and Abdullahi both bagging a fine of N200,000 each, while Aderele is to pay N300,000 fine. Ugochukwu and Adie were fined N250,000 each.
In addition, all convicts are to forfeit the proceeds of crime to the Federal Government.
In a related development, one Raphael Samuel Maduabuchi who was prosecuted before Justice A.A Akobi of the FCT High Court Gwagwalada on one count of cheating by impersonation when he presented himself as a white woman named ‘plasticjuggernaut787’ from the United States to obtain a total sum of $500 from Damonnava as transport fare to meet him. He was sentenced to community service including cutting the grass within the court premises, after pleading guilty to the charge.
Also, his Samsung Galaxy S9 phone is to be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Also, Justice A.I. Kutigi of the FCT High Court Jabi, Abuja convicted one Prince David on a one-count of cheating by impersonation when he created a Reddit application with nude female pictures with the name Ladiphilipol and obtained $150 from one Josef, pretending to be in a romantic relationship with him.
He was sentenced to one month in prison with N50,000 option of fine.
The court also convicted one Igbafen Ifijen for cheating by impersonation when he presented himself as a white man from Germany using a dating site called ‘Lovoo’ and benefitted the sum of EUR3, 145 only from one Jutta, Audrea and Eike, all German women. The offence is contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 324 of the same Act.
Igbafen, after pleading guilty to the charge was convicted by Justice Garba and sentenced to a one-year jail term with an option N75,000 fine.
