Court sentences undergraduate to 30 months imprisonment for defrauding American lady of $1,100

An Ikeja High Court on Thursday sentenced to 30 months imprisonment an undergraduate, Rilwan Adedigba, for defrauding an American woman, Zen Cariboso, of 1,1000 (N176000) dollars through an internet love scam.

Justice Kudirat Jose sentenced 26-year-old Adedigba to 30 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the offences during his re-arraignment.

The judge convicted Adedigba, who claimed to be a student of University of Cairo, Egypt, of five counts of stealing and possession of fraudulent documents preferred against him.

She consequently sentenced him to six months imprisonment on each of the counts.

According to her, the sentence is to run concurrently beginning from June 8, when he was arrested for the offence.

Jose also ordered the convict to refund the 1,100 dollars to the victim as restitution.

She also ordered him to forfeit the car he had bought from the proceeds his crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The judge asked Adedigba to write an undertaking to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to be of good behaviour after his release from prison.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convict had entered a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC.

Narrating the facts of the case, the counsel to EFCC, Mrs Olubunmi Bosede, told the court that Adedigba committed the offences on Jan. 30 in Lagos.

Bosede said the convict falsely represented to Cariboso that he was Murphy Paul, a white American living in Nigeria, who was in love with her.

She said Adedigba used the scam to obtain the money from the woman.

The prosecutor said that the offences committed contravened Sections 390 and 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011. (NAN)