A Federal Capital Territory High Court Thursday convicted six people on one count separate charges bordering on internet fraud by Justice O. I. Adelaja.
The defendants who were docked by the Abuja Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were; Anekwu Peterdamian, Eta Okang, Kolawole Taiwo, Ohue Daniel, Ocholi Husseni and Olatunji Johnson.
The agency in a statement issued Friday said the charges against two of the defendants read: “that you Anekwu Chibuike Perterdamian (aka Nguyen Dinh) sometime in 2022 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, falsely represented yourself as a pilot in the United States of America through dating site and obtained the sum of $7,000 from one Christian through Bitcoin and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) and punishable under Section 324 of the same Act.
“That you, Eta Iso Okang sometime in 2023 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did cheat by personation when you created an Instagram Account pretending to be Theodora, a United States of America citizen, a fact which you knew to be false and in that assumed character obtained the sum of $4,150 (Four Thousand One Hundred and Fifty US Dollars) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code, Law Laws of the Federation (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 324 of the same Laws”.
The agency added that they all pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Justice Adelaja convicted and sentenced Anekwu, to two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N2 million.
He is also to forfeit the sum of $4000, a Mercedes Benz CLA 250 car and phones to the federal government.
Eta bagged two years jail term or a fine of 2 million. He is to forfeit $4,150, mobile phones and a laptop computer to the federal government.
While Ohue, Ocholi and Olatunji received one year jail term with an option of N500,000 fine, while Kolawole received a non-custodial sentence.