Man gets 50 years in jail for £15,000 fraud

A Lagos High Court has sentenced a man, Osaibovo Charles, to 50 years in prison after finding him guilty of a romance and impersonation scam that defrauded a foreign victim of £15,000.

Ismail Ijelu, Justice of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, delivered the judgment on Tuesday, convicting Charles on multiple counts, including conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, stealing, possession of fraudulent documents, and money laundering.

Charles was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate I of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for deceiving Shenika Garati by impersonating Nollywood actor Fredrick Leonard.

Read also: Fintech company rolls out nationwide anti-fraud drive, begins sensitisation campaign in Kano

He allegedly claimed the funds were needed to finance a movie production in Nigeria.

EFCC filings showed that in June 2022, Charles and a now-deceased accomplice, Charles Evans Osaigbovo, conspired to obtain £38,000 from the victim under false pretences.

Another charge revealed that between February and August 2022, he transferred £15,000 derived from the fraudulent scheme while attempting to conceal its criminal origin.

Despite pleading not guilty during the arraignment, the EFCC presented two witnesses and tendered several documents linking him to the fraud, while the defence called one witness.

Ijelu (Justice) concluded that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt, noting that the evidence overwhelmingly connected Charles to the crime.

Charles received 14 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, another 14 years for obtaining money by false pretence, and 5 years for stealing.

He was further sentenced to 14 years for possession of fraudulent documents and 3 years for money laundering.

According to EFCC, all sentences carry no option of fine and will run concurrently, amounting to a total of 50 years behind bars.

Read also: ₦110bn fraud trial: Witness details how Yahaya Bello’s aide withdrew ₦1bn in four days

He was, however, discharged and acquitted on the charge of retention of proceeds of crime.

The court also ordered him to return £15,000 to his victim, Garati.