A fake American widow on Thursday bagged a three-year jail term in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The convict – Aderibigbe Sheu – was sentenced by Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin.
Sheu, a student of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete was said to have posed as a widow resident in the United States of America to defraud unsuspecting victims.
He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and charged with one count of cybercrime and retention of proceeds of crime before the Ilorin court.
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In a statement on Thursday, EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the convict pleaded guilty to the charge upon his arraignment.
Following his ‘guilty plea’, EFCC counsel, Rasheedat Alao, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered the extra-judicial statements of the defendant including the phone, laptop, and other incriminating materials printed from his devices, which were admitted in evidence.
She asked the court to consider the plea of the defendant, his extra-judicial statements, and all the exhibits tendered to convict him as charged.
In his judgment, Justice Sani having held that the court is satisfied with the evidence before it pronounced Aderibigbe guilty of the charge and sentenced him to three years imprisonment with the option of N982,403.
The court also ordered that the iPhone 7+ and laptop, which were used to perpetrate the crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.
In the same vein, Justice Sani on Thursday convicted one Awoleye Bolaji, who claimed to be from the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State for an internet fraud-related offence.
Awoleye allegedly posed as one Karan Vanslack, an American lady, with intent to defraud unsuspecting victims in contravention of Section 22 (2) (b)(ii) of Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.
Upon the guilty plea by the defendant, Counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered one iPhone 6, the statements of the defendants, and all the fraudulent messages printed from his device, which were admitted in evidence.
Justice Sani sentenced the defendant to one-year imprisonment with an option of a fine of N100,000 and ordered that the iPhone 6, which he used to perpetrate the crime, be forfeited to the Federal Government.