A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has sentenced a final-year student of the University of Port Harcourt, Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, to 14 years imprisonment for internet fraud.
Justice A.T. Mohammed delivered the judgment on Wednesday following Ekanem’s arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a seven-count charge of obtaining money under false pretenses and impersonation.
According to a statement by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Ekanem defrauded a victim, Diana Roskov, of $22 by impersonating Coran Capshaw, the manager of American singer Chris Stapleton, through fraudulent WhatsApp and Instagram chats.
Oyewale disclosed that Ekanem pleaded guilty to all charges when they were read to him in court.
His counsel, F.T. Fred-Boufini, pleaded for leniency, urging the court to temper justice with mercy, as the defendant was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record.
However, Justice Mohammed sentenced Ekanem to two years imprisonment on each of the seven counts, totaling 14 years.
The judge provided an option of a fine of N200,000 per count, payable into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The court also ordered that all mobile phones recovered from Ekanem, identified as proceeds of crime, be forfeited to the government. Additionally, the defendant was directed to depose an affidavit of good behavior before the court.
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