Final-Year Student Faces 14-Year Jail Term for Impersonation and Fraud Scheme Targeting Foreign Victim
A final-year student from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Rivers State for internet fraud. Ekanem’s conviction followed his arraignment on a seven-count charge by the Port Harcourt zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), with charges including obtaining money under false pretenses and impersonation.
Fraud Scheme Involving Fake Identity
One charge stated that on September 17, 2024, in Choba, Port Harcourt, Ekanem impersonated Coran Capsha, the manager of popular singer Chris Stapleton, to defraud a woman named Diana Roskov of $22. The court found that Ekanem knowingly made this false representation to obtain the money, violating Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, 2006.
Guilty Plea and Court Ruling
Ekanem pleaded guilty to the charges, and the EFCC prosecution counsel, A. Abubakar, presented evidence, including documents accepted as exhibits, to support the case. Ekanem’s defense counsel, F. T. Fred-Boufini, acknowledged the prosecution’s case but requested leniency, emphasizing that the defendant was a first-time offender.
Court’s Verdict and Additional Sanctions
Judge A. T. Mohammed sentenced Ekanem to two years imprisonment for each count, with an option to pay a N200,000 fine for each. All devices seized from the convict will be forfeited to the government, and Ekanem must also submit an affidavit of good behavior.
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