From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
A Federal High Court sitting in Enugu has sentenced a final-year student of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, Mr Joseph Okoro, to jail for fraudulently obtaining the sum of $15,000 from an American woman on messaging app Hangouts
The suspect, who was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Dugbo Oghoghorie on a five-count charge bordering on impersonation and obtaining money by false pretences, was slammed with an 8-month prison sentence.
According to the EFCC, Okoro impersonated Donald Woods and Kennedy Lordan and used pictures of White men to create fraudulent profiles on Hangouts and Instagram, which he used to defraud an American woman, Lisa Spitler, of the said sum.
One of the charges read: ‘That you, Okoro Tochukwu Joseph, (alias Donald Wood), on March 11, 2020, in Enugu, Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, while representing yourself to be Donald Wood, a financial investor in cryptocurrency, using a computer system, knowingly sent a message through your Hangouts, knowing the same to be false, to cause needless anxiety to Lisa Spitler, thereby committing an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015.’
He pleaded guilty to the charges.
Following his plea, the prosecution counsel, Henry Anasoh, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
The presiding judge, Justice Oghoghorie subsequently sentenced Okoro to eight months imprisonment and ordered him to restitute the sum of $15,000 to his victim, through the EFCC.