An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, on Tuesday, sentenced a 25-year-old man, Paul Uche, to six months community service for $300 internet fraud.
The convict was said to have impersonated one Pachell Michel to defraud one Becky Janse, from Michigan, USA, of 300 dollars.
Justice S.O. Adeyemi sentenced the convict after adopting the plea bargain agreement signed by him (the convict) and brought to the court by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, F. Adewumi.
The convict, who pleaded guilty to the one-count charge, informed the court that he used to assist his father to sell clothes in his shop but that he started engaging in internet fraud in 2023.
“I understand the plea bargain agreement and I was not forced to sign it. I understand the implication of what is contained in the agreement; it is one-year imprisonment,” he told the court.
The convict’s Counsel, T.P. Oyeniran, informed the court that his client was a first-time offender and that he was ‘highly remorseful’ for the offence he committed.
Mr Oyeniran said that Michel had learnt his lesson in a hard way, adding that he consequently promised not to commit the crime again.
He urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence, as opposed to the one-year sentence.
In his submission, the EFCC counsel informed the court that the convict had been in their custody for nine days and had no record of previous conviction.
The judge then sentenced the convict to six months custodial sentence.
She ordered the forfeiture of the $200 found in possession of the convict to his victim through EFCC and public auction of his I-phone.
Adeyemi further ordered that the proceeds of the I-phone be forfeited to the Federal Government.
In another judgment, the court sentenced two other internet fraudsters to community service, ranging from three months to six months.
The convicts were Ogunyemi Gbolahan and Samuel Oluwatobi, who both were said to have defrauded their victims of $50 and $200 respectively.
(NAN)