A 500-level student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Adebowale Taiwo Abiola, has been sentenced to one year imprisonment for romance scam.
The undergraduate, Abiola was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after intelligence about the criminal activities of a fraud syndicate in Lekki.
The convict, who resides at Brownstone Estate, Ikate, Elegushi, presented himself as Burton J. Smith, an American, to defraud his victims.
While using the identity of Smith, an ex-military personnel, Abiola scammed Courtney Selina Kaye, who sent money to him by selling $104,500 bitcoin from her wallet on localbitcoin website in 2019.
Abiola was arraign by the EFCC on a one-count amended charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents containing false pretence.
The convict pleaded ‘guilty’ to the charge, after which the prosecution counsel, I. A. Mohammed, told the court about his plea bargain.
Justice O. A. Taiwo sentenced him to one year imprisonment, with an option of N300,000 fine.
She ordered that N5 million recovered from Abiola and his black Mercedes Benz GLK (AKD 573 GK) be forfeited to the Kaye, through the Federal Government.
Justice Taiwo also held that the N26.6million, being the remaining part of $104,500 obtained from Kaye, will be restituted to her from the convicts’ assets.
The convict must enter into a bond with the EFCC to be of good behaviour and never engage in financial crimes within and outside Nigeria after his release from prison.