The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office on Thursday, June 27, 2019 secured the conviction of one Abdullahi Salihu who was charged for offences bordering on internet fraud before Justice Babangana Ashigar of a Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The defendant was arraigned on February 20, 2019 on a four-count charge bordering on internet fraud.
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
Shocked by the weight of evidence gathered against him by the EFCC, Salihu, however, decided not to waste the time of the court, and so approached the EFCC for a plea bargain agreement.
The charges were thereafter amended to a one-count charge, which reads: “That you, Abdullahi Salihu (alias Thomas Karter), sometime in March 2019, at Ilorin, within the judicial division of this honourable court, obtained from some unsuspecting nationals of the United States of America the gross sum of $18,450 (Eighteen Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) upon the trick that Budweiser Drinks was carrying out vehicle advertisement and the detailer will be paid $400 but a cheque of $1950 will be sent to them while chatting using the name Thomas Karter with thomascarter@gmail.com and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 421 of the Criminal Code Act.”
He, thereafter, pleaded “guilty” to the amended charge.
Upon his plea, Justice Ashigar sentenced him to a term of six months imprisonment which commenced from the day of his conviction. The sentence is without an option of fine.
The Judge also ordered that some of the items recovered from the convict which includes, a Toyota Camry car, a Nokia Phone, an iPhone X, a laptop among others should be forfeited to the Federal Government.