Mother, Son, Girlfriend Convicted for $902,935 Internet Fraud in Asaba

Mother, Son, Girlfriend Convicted for $902,935 Internet Fraud in Asaba

Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State on Thursday July 22, convicted and sentenced Gift Kenneth, Dora Animam and Spice Chimzi Dandy Igwe to prison for internet-related fraud.

Kenneth, his biological mother, Animam and girlfriend, Igwe were arraigned on one count charge each by the Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for offences bordering on impersonation and obtaining by false pretences. They were said to have conspired to defraud an American lady, Lucinda Ann Garnes Henrichson of an aggregate sum of $902,935

The charge against Gift Kenneth reads: “that you Gift Kenneth (a.k.a Raymond Carl Eric ) on or about the year 2018 and 2019 at Agbor within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fraudulently impersonate the identity of one Raymond Carl Eric by which you propose an Infrastructural Investment Project to one Lucinda Ann Garnes Henrichson living in Texas, United States of America and thereby induced her to transfer the aggregate sum of $ 902,935 through various third parties’ ( Shuaibu Abdullahi and Dora Animam ) Bank accounts which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 22 (2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrime ( Prohibition and Prevention, Etc ) Act 2015 and punishable under section 22 (2)(b)(IV) of the same Act”.

The charge against Dora Animam reads: “that you Dora Animam on or about the year 2018 and 2019 at Agbor within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did aid Gift Kenneth ( a.k.a Raymond Carl Eric ) with your Diamond Bank account Number: 0097188910 and Access Bank account Number : 00928225267 to receive an aggregate sum of $166,000 from one Lucinda Ann Garnes Henrichson living in Texas and N27,000,000, from Lucinda Ann Garnes Henrichson and Shuaibu Abdullahi respectively being part of the fund transferred by Lucinda Ann Garnes Henrichson for your fraudulent proposed Infrastructural Investment Project and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 27(1)(b) and 22(2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrime ( Prohibition Prevention, Etc) Act ,2015 and punishable under section 22 (2)(b)(IV) of the same Act”.

Upon arraignment, they all pleaded guilty to the charge.

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Francis. A.Jirbo prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

Justice Olubanjo convicted and sentenced both Gift Kenneth and his mother, Dora Animam to five years imprisonment or a fine of Three Million Naira each while Spice Chimzi Dandy Igwe was sentenced to two years imprisonment or a fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira .

The Court also ordered all items recovered during investigation which included Mercedes Benz CL250, Mercedes Benz 300, iPhone I1 Promax, iPhone XX Max, Apple Mac book Pro, 2 Apple Mac book, N4, 000,000 found in his account, Twin 4 bedroom uncompleted duplex in Asaba, the cash sum of N4, 000,000 found on him and $ 4,255 recovered from his contractor, forfeited and restituted to the victim through the American Embassy.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
23 July, 2021
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Undergraduates Jailed for Cybercrime in Ilorin

Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced a 21-year-old student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho, Omotosho Olorunyomi Samuel, and two others over offences bordering on cybercrime.

The two others are Abass Lawal, a Student of the Kwara State University, KWASU, Molete and one Olajide Taofeek Adegoke.

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, August 5, 2021 arraigned the trio on separate two counts charges each, to which they pleaded guilty.

Following the guilty plea by the defendants, the prosecution reviewed the facts of the cases and tendered incriminating items recovered from the defendants, which were admitted in evidence by the court.

In his judgment, Justice Oyinloye said the court relied on the evidence of the prosecution, the plea of guilt entered by the defendants and the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, which were not controverted by the defendants. He said the court was satisfied that the prosecution had proved its cases beyond reasonable doubt.

Consequently, Justice Oyinloye sentenced Omotosho to one year imprisonment on count one with option of fine of N100, 000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) and six months imprisonment on count two with option of fine of N100, 000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only). He ordered the forfeiture of $1,350 (One Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) and the sum of N929,389 (Nine Hundred and Twenty Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty Nine Naira) domiciled in the convict’s Guaranty Trust Bank account to the Federal Government.

The judge also forfeited the Mac Book Laptop and iPhone 11 Promax used as instruments of the crime to the Federal Government.

Similarly, Justice Oyinloye sentenced Abbas to one year imprisonment each on the two counts preferred against him, which would run concurrently. He also gave option of fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) on each of the counts.

The ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 11 Promax used as instrument of the crime to the Federal Government.

In the same vein, Olajide was sentenced to one year imprisonment on count one with option of fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) and two years on count two with option of fine of N3,107,215 (Three Million, One Hundred and Seven Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifteen Naira Only).

The judge, thereafter ordered the forfeiture of the manager’s cheque (bank draft) of N300, 000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) which the convict raised as restitution and the iPhone used to perpetrate the crime to the Federal Government.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
6 August, 2021