Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of three additional suspected internet fraudsters before Justice D. I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Gatekeepers News reports that the convicts, Shodeinde Taiwo Samuel, Oyetunde Eniola Ayomide, and Akinola Samuel Bolutife, were among ninety-three persons arrested on August 10 during a sting operation at a hotel situated within the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Each faced a one-count charge under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, relating to impersonation, identity theft, and internet fraud.
Samuel was accused of impersonating “Andy Dante,” a female foreign national, on Facebook to defraud unsuspecting victims.
Ayomide, also known as “Jessicabrowns,” was charged with using a TikTok account to impersonate “Jessica Brown,” a white female, to deceive one Jason Duke. Bolutife, on the other hand, was arraigned for posing as “Mabella Smith” on Telegram with the intention of committing fraud.
All three pleaded guilty to the charges. During the proceedings, the prosecution presented extra-judicial statements, mobile devices including an iPhone 14, iPhone 11, and iPhone 6 Pro, manager’s cheques, and forensic investigation reports, which were admitted in evidence by the court.
Justice Dipeolu sentenced Samuel to three months in prison from the date of arrest, with the option of paying a ₦300,000 fine, after he admitted to gaining $200 from his fraudulent activities.
The judge also ordered that his mobile devices and a ₦250,000 manager’s cheque be forfeited to the federal government. Ayomide was fined ₦50,000 and had his iPhone 11 confiscated by the court.
Bolutife was sentenced to one month in prison from the date of arrest, with an option of paying a ₦100,000 fine. His iPhone 6 Pro and a ₦45,000 bank draft issued as restitution were also forfeited after he admitted to profiting €25 from the crime.
Their defence counsels pleaded for leniency, noting that the three were first-time offenders who had expressed genuine remorse.
This latest conviction follows earlier judgments involving suspects from the OOPL arrests, where four were convicted on August 15 and another three on August 18.
The charges against them, as filed before the court, detailed the fraudulent impersonations carried out on Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram, all in violation of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.
