ANOTHER SOCIAL MEDIA BIG BOY ARRESTED FOR $8.5 MILLION SCAM IN PORT HARCOURT

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arraigned acclaimed social media big boy, “Nwata Anayo Eze” over alleged $8.5 million scam.

According to EFCC, Nwata Anayo Eze whose real name is Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley , alias Jeff Sikora, was picked up for suspected case of internet fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal Office arrested Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley,  aka Nwata Anayo Eze, back in February for alleged fraud, but he was almost immediately released.

Nwata Anayo Eze was arraigned for conspiracy, impersonation, forgery, possession of proceeds and obtaining money by false pretense.

The social media big boy is known for displaying his wealth on Facebook.
Recently, he took to his Facebook page to reveal in a video that his enemies are making efforts to pull him down.

He is the self acclaimed President/Chief Executive Officer of United States-based Prime Trust Credit Union Bank and several Oil/Gas and Real Estate businesses across the Southeastern part of Nigeria.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Port Harcourt’s zonal office on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 arraigned one Onwuzuruike Ikenna Kingsley (aka Jeff Sikora), a self-styled President/ Chief Executive Officer of United States-based Prime Trust Credit Union Bank before Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on an eight count charge bordering on conspiracy, impersonation, forgery, possession of proceeds and obtaining money by false pretense to the tune of Eight Million, Five Hundred and Two Thousand Dollars ($8,502,000.00).

The offence contravenes Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

11 Nigerians arraigned for $6 million bank fraud in USA

11 Nigerians have been arraigned in a US court for their alleged role in a large-scale conspiracy to commit $6m bank fraud in southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania.

 

The suspects identified as Sulaiman Dosunmu, 39; Tunde Adeowo, 40; Muritala Adeowo, 55; Ayanniyi Alayande, 47; Ahmmed Ponle, 41; Margiettu Kamu, 34; Rafiat Sarumi, 36; Babatunde Oke, 40; Adekunle Owolabi, 49; Olayinka Olaseinde, 42; Olugbenga Oyedele, 47 were each charged with bank fraud conspiracy in connection with a scheme that used hundreds of fraudulent accounts to defraud several major banks of $6 million and then laundered the money and send it overseas to other conspirators.

 

 

Documents filed by the US Department of Justice in court read;

 

    The defendants are allegedly members of a Nigeria-based, multi-layered organization that engaged in a massive bank fraud conspiracy in several states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Rhode Island, between June 2016 and March 2020. Members of the group stole numerous business checks from the United States mail, altered the payee on the checks to a fraudulent name and deposited the checks in bank accounts that had been opened with forged foreign passport documents and fraudulent U.S. visas that matched the names on the stolen checks. Once the banks credited all or a portion of the funds to the accounts – but before the checks had cleared – the defendants withdrew the funds from ATMs or purchased money orders, using debit cards associated with the fraudulent accounts. Members of the organization have used over 400 fraudulent accounts with fake identity documents to defraud the banks.

    The organization also laundered the proceeds of the fraud by several means, including using debit cards to purchase money orders from third party stores and using those money orders to purchase used automobiles from different automobile auction companies in Pennsylvania. The vehicles were then exported to Nigeria and other countries in Africa to launder the stolen funds and to increase profits by selling the vehicles at the higher market values obtained for vehicles in these foreign countries.

 

The bank fraud conspiracy count carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million.

 

This is coming barely two weeks after six Nigerians were also indicted in the United States for their alleged involvement in over $6m internet fraud.

CHURCH CELL LEADER DUPE MEMBER OF N135K.

A Facebook user, Phil Nelson has called out a popular church's (Name withheld) cell leader, Bennie Sam of allegedly duping her of N135K.

The guy is reportedly a cell leader in the Abuja chapter of the popular church!
Phil Wrote:
Fraudster! Fraudster!! Fraudster!!!
Most wanted fraudster.
I've still not heard from u as u told my people.
U will be caught in no distant time.
Cell leader my foot.
See the snapshot below........

HOW CAREER FRAUDSTER 'PRINCEWILL EZE aka SENATOR NWOBODO DIED IN PRISON

Princewill Arinze Eze aka  Senator Nwobodo (1st from Left)

Mr Princewill Arinze Eze aka  Senator Nwobodo, is a man many Nigerians will not forget in a hurry.
Eze, from Imo State, married with five kids; four sons and a daughter had often described himself as a businessman. He would be later alleged by police to be a ‘career suspected criminal.’

He had been arrested at least four times for different times, by different security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). But like a cat with nine lives, Eze had always managed to land back on his feet.


The last law enforcement agency to grab him, leading to his becoming a guest at the Maximum prison, was the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command. He was arrested on February 26, 2015.
He was alleged of many crimes, among which was wearing of EFCC reflective vests to rob, steal and dupe unsuspecting Nigerians. His major targets were operators of Bureau De Change.
 Eze, 55, was arrested along with Amira Abdallahi 32, Daniel Okpara 30, Paul Irior 37, Bassey Williams Ekpenyoung 39 and Royal Nwabuike 32.

He was said to have been arrested several times for robbery, but he always seemed seem to have a penchant for escaping convictions, earning him the nickname, ‘cat with nine lives.’
Police said: “The suspect goes about in a tinted car, fitted with a radio base, where police radio messages are intercepted. The car also has siren which blared whenever Eze was on the move. He uses EFCC uniforms, handcuffs and guns to rob Bureau De Change operators in Abuja and Lagos State of foreign currencies.

“Recovered from the suspects are; Bryco 59 pistol with serial no. 930945 with six rounds of 5.56mm live ammunition, single barrel pistol cut to size with four live cartridges, and three Toyota Highlander jeeps. The first is ash colour, marked LSR11DB. The second is maroon colour marked LSR 671DK, another maroon colour marked KTU 380DK. Police also recovered a Toyota Sienna 2012 model, marked JJJ424CQ, Toyota 4 Runner, marked KRD 449DG, one Toyota Camry Saloon car unregistered, N4 million cash and some foreign currencies.”

Eze was arrested after Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Abba Kyari, tracked him to his home at VGC Ajah.

Chatting with journalists back then, Eze said: “I have been into this business for quite some time now. I was arrested four years ago by SARS operatives and charged to court over similar issues. I have been arraigned in courts over seven times but since there wasn’t any prosecutor and paper to prosecute me on the cases, I was bailed and told to go.”

Eze had earlier been arrested in 2014 by the EFCC for fraud. On February 20, 2014, three gunmen in police uniform snatched Eze, from a prison warder at the Igbosere area of Lagos State, while being taken to court.
Eze was charged to court by EFCC for obtaining $ 92,000 under false pretence.

After his arrest by SARS, before he was charged to court, he claimed that he paid EFCC and prison warders N10million each, to snatch him on the way to the Igbosere court.

While in SARS custody, Eze said: “I’ll never come back to SARS office again in Jesus name!”

And that is what exactly happened. Eze, who had been standing trial over alleged robbery and kidnapping died in Maximum Prison last week Tuesday. He wouldn’t be going anywhere again.

A source said: “He died of diabetes. His family is alleging poor medical treatment. He died within three days after he took ill. The family went to prison, demanding to take his corpse for burial, but the prisons authority refused. They said it belonged to government. Before he died, he said that he regretted his action and that God should forgive him and his gang members who were still at large.

“He said his gang members should stop crime because it doesn’t pay. He said everything he had, he had lost. He said that even if he came out from prison, he would be coming out with nothing. Then he died.”

According to the source, Eze’s trial had been going on at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, under Justice…

In his last courting, Eze and one of his victims were said to have enacted a mild drama in the court. Eze had denied defrauding the victim and the victim, angry laid a curse on him.

“The said let me see if you would use your leg to walk back to this court in the next hearing if you didn’t defraud me,” said a source.

It was also gathered that Eze changed series of lawyers, claiming that he could defend himself in court. One of the lawyers he changed is Mr Deji Rowland.

Recalling his encounter with Eze, Rowland said: “What happened was that he briefed us; we gave him our bill. He paid part of the bill. We didn’t know he had other cases in court.”
He said that Eze briefed them on his others cases and even though they were not conversant with it, they tried do their best. Rowland said they represented him, even though he didn’t pay for those cases.

Rowland said: “At a time, he just stood up and said he was capable of representing himself. He said it in the open court. I was even signaling to him to be mindful of what he was saying. The judge said that if the defendant had disengaged us and could represent him, then that what we should do. We backed out; we pursued the first case until it got to Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). The DPP advice came; he had a case to answer in other matters. That was how he started sending threat messages to me; he said that I should refund money the money he paid us.”
According to the Nigerian Prisons Service spokesman, Francis Enobore, Eze died last week.
He said: “He took ill and was taken to the prison’s hospital. When they discovered his situation was getting serious, they moved to Naval Hospital in Ojo. We maintain a very good working relationship with government hospitals. Whenever we discovered an inmate is ill and our medical facility can’t cope, we move such inmates. It was at the naval hospital that he gave up. The doctor there diagnosed diabetes mellitus type 2 and renal failure. These are serious ailments.”

SOURCE

NIGERIAN RAPPER BABALOLA FALEMI AKA 'SAUCE KID' SENTENCED TO 2 YEAR IN PRISON FOR STEALING $15,388

Nigerian rapper, Babalola Falemi, aka Sauce Kid, was sentenced this week to two years in federal prison for stealing $15,388 using stolen credit card numbers in Boise and Meridian, Idaho Stateman News reported on June 23.

According to the charge, Sauce Kid obtained stolen bank card numbers and identifying information from their owners. He then encoded the account numbers onto blank plastic cards.

 After using an automated system to change account PINs, he was able to withdraw cash from bank ATMS and buy merchandise from stores between July 23 and 26 2016/

All of the losses took place at Boise ATMs owned by Idaho Central Credit Union and at Albertsons stores in Meridian, court documents alleged.

Police arrested Sauce Kid at the Boise Airport as he was about to board a flight. He was caught with a card encoding device and more than $6,000 in cash.

Sauce Kid was initially charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, eight counts each of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of 15 or more fraudulent bank cards.

GREEN CARD SCAM: AMERICAN MAN SENT TO KIRIKIRI PRISON

An Ikeja High Court on Thursday remanded an American citizen, Marco Ramirez, at Kirikiri Maximum Prison for allegedly defrauding three Nigerians in a $ 565,000  green card and investment scam.


Mr. Ramirez was remanded following his not-guilty plea to a 16-count charge of obtaining money under false presences.

He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The EFCC prosecutor, V. O. Aigboje, alleged that the accused, managing director of three companies – USA Now Plc., Eagleford Instalodge Group and USA Now Capital Group – committed the offences between February 2013 and August 2013.

Mr. Aigboje said Mr. Ramirez fraudulently received 545,000 dollars from Godson Echejue to invest in his company, Eagleford Instalodge Group, in order to procure an American green card (residence permit) for him (Echejue).

He also allegedly received 10,000 dollars from Abubakar Umar through a non-existent investment programme in the U.S., which was billed to make Mr. Umar eligible to obtain an American passport.

The EFCC also accused Mr. Ramirez of illegally receiving 10,000 dollars from one Olukayode Sodimu under the pretext that the funds were facilitation fees with the American Immigration Services for an American green card.

After Mr. Ramirez took his plea, Mr. Aigboje requested that he be taken from the custody of EFCC to prison custody.

“There are no bed spaces available in the commission. I apply that the defendant be remanded in prison custody,” she said.

Chukwudi Maduka, the defence counsel, in his submission, requested that Mr. Ramirez be kept in the custody of EFCC and not in the custody of the Nigerian Prison Service.

“Ever since my client has been in the custody of the EFCC, we are just seeing this charge for the very first time today.

“He is already on EFCC bail in Abuja and his International passport has been forfeited as part of his bail conditions.

“We will like to file an application for his bail today.

“We pray that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the time my Lord hears the bail application,” he said.

Justice Josephine Oyefeso, however, rejected Mr. Maduka’s request and ordered that Mr. Ramirez be remanded in prison.

“The proper place for remand is prison custody and I so order.

“The case is, hereby, adjourned to July 3 for hearing of the defendant’s bail application,” she said.

NAN

BEAUTY QUEEN ROTS IN JAIL OVER N7.5 MILLION FRAUD

Miss Asaigbo 2016, and an Accounting student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Ugwu Joy, is currently languishing in jail.

From the glory of her office, she has descended and now dwells in gory Kirikiri prisons in Lagos, where she was remanded by a Yaba Magistrate court for alleged involvement in N7.5million fraud.
Police investigations revealed that she had been an alleged serial scammer, duping  innocent Nigerians through a visa racket and ponzi scheme. She landed in police net after series of complaints from some of her alleged victims.

Saturday Sun learnt that the embattled pageant winner had allegedly fleeced many 'clients', who, however, lacked the nerve to report her because they were either threatened or afraid of her touted status and influence, until one Jonathan Nwaogu and Anita Oby reported her in Lagos.

Joy had allegedly failed to fulfill a contract to help Jonathan secure a visa for which he reportedly paid N1m. She was said to have started evading her client and avoiding his calls after the payment. .
She also allegedly duped Oby N2m through a ponzi scheme called "Me and You". All went sour when one of the subscribers refused to pay and the organisation could not refund Oby's money. .

It was learnt that when she was first arrested in Enugu, the accused allegedly slapped a police officer, bragging about her connections. She was also said to have had N7.5m in her account then, but allegedly made massive withdrawals between the period she was temporarily released and rearrested, leaving only N400,000 balance. .
.
Although the accused was granted bail, she was still in custody as at press time, as she could not meet the bail conditions.
(SunNews reports)

US JAILS 3 NIGERIAN SCAMMERS 235 YEARS IN PRISON

Three Nigerian scammers,Oladimeji Seun Ayelotan, 30, Rasaq Aderoju Raheem, 31 and Femi Alexander Mewase,45,   have been given jail sentences for defrauding victims they met on dating sites of tens of millions of dollars.

Oladimeji Seun Ayelotan, 30, was sentenced to 95 years in prison; Rasaq Aderoju Raheem, 31, was sentenced to 115 years and Femi Alexander Mewase, 45, got 25 years in prison, according to a report by Infosecurity Magazine. That brings it to a total of 235 years in prison.

They were tried and found guilty by a court in the Southern District of Mississippi. Their crimes include; identity theft, mail, credit card, and wire fraud; and theft of government property.

Ayelotan and Raheem were also found guilty of conspiracies to commit bank fraud and money laundering.

The scammers have reportedly been carrying out their operations as far back as 2001. They were part of a string of scams against Americans, facilitated by internet communications. They got involved in what is popularly called 419, where their victims are promised a massive amount in return for making some payments into the criminals' accounts.  The criminals did not stop there but went even further.

They reportedly befriend women on dating sites, start a romantic relationship and then either get them to send money or have them participate in fraud schemes, usually without the victim’s knowledge. Sometimes the unsuspecting women were made to cash counterfeit checks or use stolen credit cards to buy things. They were used to launder money via Western Union and the likes.

They were also accused of running romance stings to steal from lonely people, shipping fraud, running fake work-from-home businesses, check fraud, and hijacking other people’s bank accounts and credit cards to divert funds.

21 defendants have already been charged in the case, which is still ongoing. 12 of whom have pleaded guilty to charges involving conspiracy and 11 of whom have been sentenced. 

"HOW I EMBARKED ON THE IDEA OF DEFRAUDING THE FIRST FAMILY"~~EX-POLICE OFFICER

Charles Abam,36, a former police sergeant,  who is now being held at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, for attempting to defraud the children of President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Abam, after being jobless since 2003 when he lost his job as a policeman, he found out he could make a lot of money by defrauding influential Nigerians.

The suspect allegedly got hold of the phone number of a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, whom he contacted by impersonating Mrs. Daisy Danjuma, wife of Gen. T.Y. Danjuma.


The indigene of Ndukwa East, Delta State, told investigators after he was tracked down and apprehended by the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, that he quitted his police post in 2003 after being enticed by a chance to travel abroad.

He said, “When I had an opportunity to travel out of the country I left my duty post and went on to process my documents, but I was defrauded and I lost all my money.

“I went back to my police job but I was told that I had been declared a deserter. I begged to be reinstated but was not taken back. I then began to look for work. I also applied for a bank security job but did not get it.”

A source at the IRT told Saturday PUNCH that in April 2017, Abam sent an SMS to the said APC chieftain, asking for the phone numbers of the President’s children.

The chieftain was said to have replied the SMS that she did not have the phone numbers of the President’s children but sent that of the elder brother of First Lady, Aisha, thinking she was communicating with  Daisy Danjuma.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that Abam again contacted the First Lady’s brother by SMS, asking for the phone numbers of the President’s children.

The police said he eventually got the phone numbers of the President’s children, whom he sent messages, again impersonating Danjuma” to asking them to present five names for a phantom job with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

When the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris was notified of the suspected fraudulent activities of Abam, the IRT was tasked with tracking him down.

Members of the First Family were said to have played along and sent some names and phone numbers to the suspected fraudster.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that eight names, which were provided by the police, were eventually sent to Abam and his accomplice, Felix Machi.



“The suspect then pretended to be officials of the NDLEA and called the phone number that had been sent to him. He asked them to pay a certain amount of money to a bank account, which would be payment for their kits during their training exercise. But no payment was made to the accounts,” our correspondent was told by the police source.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that Abam was tracked down through the details of his bank account which he told his supposed victims to pay into.

 The suspect, who also led operatives to arrest his accomplice, Machi, said he regrets his action.

According to him, his fraudulent activities started in 2014 after his unsuccessful attempts to find a job.

He said, “I started with internet fraud but I was not making enough money. Then, I went into local fraud. One of my friends, known as Mike, taught me how to impersonate people in order to get phone numbers of prominent politicians.

“Sometimes I also paid to get the phone numbers. I later met Felix (Machi), who became my partner. Before I attempted to defraud the president’s children, I had defrauded many politicians by pretending to be a kidney disease patient.

“I told some politicians that I needed financial help for a kidney transplant and many of them sent money to me. I got N70,000 from a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly,EmekaObinna, the Commissioner for Lands in Delta State and he gave me N50,000.

“One Senator Ahmed Kamoni, gave me N150,000 while another member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, ObinnaUzor, gave me N50,000. I also got N50,000 from Senator Ahmed Yerima. Even the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejefor, gave me N100,000.

“I also got N100,000 from the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Aniofor Udo andN5,500 from a former Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Daniel Abia.”

Abam said he gave 10 per cent of all the money he made from his kidney transplant fraud to Machi.

According to him, he only decided they needed to up their game recently when he broached the idea of defrauding the First Family to Machi.

He said he got the phone number of the APC chieftain from the APC Chairman in Delta State, Prophet Enu, by impersonating the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

Abam said, “Eventually, when I contacted the President’s children and they sent me the eight names, I realised the candidates were not cooperating. I knew something had gone wrong when I started receiving calls from people threatening to arrest me.

“I decided to destroy my phones and sim cards. I thought there was no way I could be tracked without them. But I was surprised when the police showed up at my house on Saturday and arrested me.”

The police authorities at the headquarters have said Abam and his accomplice would be charged to court as soon as investigation into the extent of their operation was complete.