A Lagos Special Offences Court, in Ikeja has sentenced an internet fraudster, Anthony Obi to one year imprisonment for N16m fraud.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge brought against him.
Obi was accused of receiving fraudulently obtained property with money totaling sum of N16,700,000.
When the case was called the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Prosecutor Mr Godson Akaogu, prayed the court to allow the convict to take his plea again on the new information dated March 28, 2022.
Obi was then re-arraigned on a one-count charge and he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Click To Also Read: Court Sentences Husband To Death By Hanging For Killing Pregnant Wife
He pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to the Commission the offence committed is punishable under Section 331 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
EFCC gave a review of the facts, and urged the court to convict him as charged.
While reviewing the facts of the case, Akaogu said the convict was arrested on July 8, 2021, in Ajah area of Lagos.
He said that the convict was arrested based on credible intelligence that he was into internet fraud.
According to him, he was subsequently brought to the EFCC’s Lagos office where mobile devices found on him were forensically analysed by the cyber crime department and his statement taken.
You May Like To Read: Motorcyclist Sentence To Life Imprisonment For Raping Passenger
“Fraudulent documents were printed out from his phone, which gave a clue to the nature of his illegal activities which is specifically as a picker, who receives money from such internet fraud on behalf of fraudsters for a percentage,” he said.
He further told the court that the defendant confessed under interrogation that he benefitted the sum of N16,700,000 in different transactions through crypto-traders from the Mr. Iloh currently at large, .
However, the prosecutor tendered in evidence the statement of the defendant and the mobile phones recovered from him.
In addition he said that aside from the phones, a Mercedes Benz C300 2016 model was also recovered from him all of which he admitted were proceeds of his illegal activities.
The statements of the defendant and the mobile devices recovered from him were tendered in evidence and admitted as Exhibit against him.
Read Also: Two Seagreen Pharmaceutical Sale Reps. To Be Arraign September 22
Consequently, Justice Abike-Fadipe found him guilty as charged.
Obi in his alocutus pleaded with the court for mercy promising not to go back to the fraudulent activities.
After listening to his plea the Judge sentenced him to one year imprisonment with an option of one million naira fine and 80 hours of community service.
The court in addition ordered that the Items recovered from him should be forfeited to the Federal Government.
