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A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced 11 internet fraudsters to various prison terms for fraud.
The convicts were prosecuted by the Benin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for offences bordering on impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, a statement from the anti-graft agency said on Monday.
Those convicted were Anhwo Samson, Harry Omo-Egbekun Hamilton, Odiase Martins, Okuson Godspower, Destiny Ighalo, Andrew Onoyoa, Omebu Happy, Enofe Michael, Adelakun Abdulkareem, Akpowowo Favour, and Imaah Joseph.
They were brought before Justice Adamu Mohammed on Friday and pleaded guilty to the count preferred against them by the EFCC.
In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Ahmed Arogha, prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.
But counsels to the defendants, John Okhuihievbe and O.A. Egharevba, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendants were first time offenders who had become remorseful.
Justice Mohammed, thereafter, convicted and sentenced all the defendants to various terms of imprisonment.
Samson bagged two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000, and was asked to forfeit N3,684,439.18 to the Federal Government.
Similarly, Ighalo got two years imprisonment or a fine N500,000, and was asked to forfeit a Luxus SUV 330 model, laptops, and phones to the Federal Government.
Onoyoa was also sentenced to three years imprisonment or a fine of N1 million, and asked to forfeit a Luxus 230 SUV and a Toyota Camry car to the federal government.
The other defendants Godspower, Happy, Enofe, Joseph, Favour, Abdulkareem, and Martin were sentenced to two years imprisonment each with an option of a fine of N200,000 each.
While Hamilton bagged two years imprisonment or a fine of N100,000, all the convicts were asked to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour forthwith.
The charge against them read, “That you Anhwo Samson (aka Anhwo Samcity), Adelakun Abdulkareem (aka Terry Walker), Omebu Happy (aka Christ David), Imaah Joseph (aka Pietro Jones) Enofe Michael (aka Charlotte Crypto B.T.C Dan Trader) and Akpowowo Favour Omanufogho (aka Prof. Melisa Dan) on or about the 10th day of July 2020 at Efemena Close, Ozoro within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire to defraud by sending electronic messages materially misrepresenting facts to white women with intent to defraud them and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 14(2) the same Act”.
