Damilare Adeleye
A FCT High Court Gwagwalada-Abuja has convicted and sentenced one Canice Agabi on Wednesday for a count charge bordering on personation.
The Abuja Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, who arraigned the suspects secured their conviction.
It was learnt that Agabi, sometime in 2021 at Abuja, presented himself as an American citizen and created an Instagram account with the username ‘Randy Sylvester’ and benefitted a total sum of $1,000 (One Thousand United States Dollars) from one Anne Fuscelaro, a United States citizen, whom he misled into believing that he was into Bitcoin Investment and that, she could earn good return on investment if she invested in his cryptocurrency company, Prime Cash Investment, a fact he knew was false.
The EFCC held that offence is contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 324 of the same Act”. However, he pleaded guilty.
Following his guilty plea, Justice Shafa convicted and sentenced Agabi to three months imprisonment with an option of N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine. The convict, who had earlier returned $200 (Two Hundred United States Dollars) is to pay a further sum of N623, 000 (Six Hundred and Twenty Three Thousand Naira) in restitution to the Federation Account.
Justice Shafa also ordered that his Samsung Note 10 mobile phone which he used to commit the crime be burnt in the court premises.
Similarly, Justice Shafa also convicted one Nwozor Martins following his guilty plea to one count of fraud.
According to the anti-graft agency, Nwozor was sentenced to three months in prison with an option of fine of N200, 000 (Two Hundred thousand Naira Only). Nwozor who had earlier refunded N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) as restitution, is to pay the balance of N370,000 (Three Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) to the Federation account.
His iPhone and Tecno phones were also ordered to be burnt in the court premises.