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A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced a mother, Mrs Damilola Adeyeri and her son, Alaba Adeyeri, to three years in prison for defrauding an American to the tune of $82,570.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke convicted the mother and son of four counts bordering on “fraudulent trick business email compromise” filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
At the hearing on Tuesday, the prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Bilikisu Buhari, told the court that the mother and son conspired with one Kareem Russel, who is still at large, to defraud the Chief Executive Officer of American Cranes Manufacturing Company.
According to the EFCC counsel, they committed the offence in June 2017 and were arrested on September 6, 2019.
In the charge, the anti-graft agency explained that Mrs Adeyeri and her son carried out the fraud by “dishonestly representing themselves as the CEO of American Cranes Manufacturing Company and thereafter, sent an email from [email protected]l-office-portal.online with intent to gain advantage to themselves.”
The EFCC through its counsel also told the court that the convicts acted contrary to sections 27(1)(a) and 23(3) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and were liable to be punished under Section 22(1) of the same Act.
The offence was also said to have been contrary to sections 421 and 422 of the Criminal Code Act Cap C38.
Meanwhile, both Mrs Adeyeri and her son pleaded guilty to the four counts during the arraignment.
Consequently, Justice Aneke said he would temper justice with mercy because the convicts pleaded guilty to the charges immediately, rather than waste the time of the court.
He then sentenced them to three years’ imprisonment on each of the three counts but said the sentences would run concurrently.
The judge said despite the fact that the convicts immediately pleaded guilty and showed remorse, he had to mete out punishment in accordance with the relevant laws to serve as a deterrent to others.
After sentencing the convicts, the prosecutor urged the court to forfeit to the Federal government of Nigeria, the sum of N38.8 million, used to buy a property with Adron Homes and Properties, as well as the sum of N21.6 million in the account of Crystal High Homes, domiciled in Polaris bank, N10 million belonging to Alaba Karrem Adeyemi, domiciled in Polaris Bank, $24, 585 USD and another N421, 329, 00 belonging to Mrs Adeyeri and domiciled in Polaris Bank and an IPhone.
The prosecutor’s request was granted as Justice Aneke ordered the forfeiture of the funds and iPhone to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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