Court sentences varsity student to six- month imprisonment for romance scam

Justice Sherifat Adeyemi of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, on Monday sentenced a student of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Oluwatoyin Henry, to six months imprisonment for a romance scam.

Henry, according to a statement sent to Ripples Nigeria by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, was arraigned in court by the commission for collecting $1,200 from one Betty Mosley under a false pretense.

He was docked by the EFCC on an amended one-count charge of obtaining by false pretence.

The charge read: “That you Oluwatoyin Henry sometimes in 2019, at Ogbomosho, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of One Thousand Two Hundred United States of America Dollars (USD$1,200) from one Betty Mosley, when you falsely represented to him that you are a citizen of the United States of America by name Amanda, who is in love with him which representations you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence.”

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The convict pleaded guilty to the charge after a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution.

Based on his plea, he was sentenced to six months in prison.

The judge also ordered the convict to restitute the $1,200 to his victim, and forfeit his iPhone 11, one Infinix Hot 5, and a Nokia phone to the Federal Government.

The money and other items are to released to the court’s registrar.

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