Internet scammers; Amin Deera, Jason Avtandil, Tom Jones, Gianluca Jinoble, George Woods, send to jail in Calabar

Stanley Ihedigbo

Justice Rosemary Dugbo-Oghoghorie of the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State  convicted and sentenced five internet fraudsters to various jail terms.

The convicts: Michael Aregbesola (a.k.a Amin Deera), Adeleke Toba Richard(Alias Jason Avtandil), Mkpoikanke Emmanuel Udoh (a.k.a Tom Jones), Gideon Mishell Effiong (a.k.a Gianluca Jinoble) and Momodu John Modupe (a.k.a George Woods), were charged to court by the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, for criminal impersonation, fraudulent messaging and money laundering.

According to the Head Media and Publicity, EFCC, Mr. Dele Oyewale, one of the charges read: ‘That you, Adeleke Toba Richard (Alias J AVTANDIL), on or February 2024 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently took possession of the sum of Five Hundred US Dollars ($500), being the property of Ms. Bella, a United State Woman, which you reasonably ought to have known that it was a proceed of unlawful act to wit; Impersonation and thereby committed an Offence contrary to Section 18 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the same Act’.

Another count reads: ‘That you Gideonn Mishell Effiong (a.k.a Gianluca Jinoble) sometime in September 2024 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did take possession of the sum of Five Hundred Euros (500 Euros) which you reasonably ought to have known forms proceed of an unlawful act to wit: Cybercrime and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2Xd) of the Money laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act’.

While Effiong and Richard each pleaded guilty to the two-count charges preferred against them, Aregbesola, Udoh, and Modupe also pleaded guilty to the one-count charge leveled against them by the Commission.

Given their guilty pleas, Prosecution Counsel Kharmis Mahmud urged the court to convict the defendants and sentence them accordingly.

While reviewing the facts of the case, Mahmud tendered the following exhibits, which the court admitted in evidence: The defendants’ statements and fraudulent documents printed from their various gadgets. The defence team, Francis Ezeike, Samson Awuje, and Emmanuel Sabe, did not oppose the prosecution.

Justice Dugbo-Oghoghorie then convicted the defendants and sentenced them as follows;

Effiong bagged a four-year jail term on each of the two counts, with an option of a fine of €2 500 and restitution of €500 to his victim; Richard got seven years on each count with the option to pay a fine of $2 500 and restitution of $500 to his victim. The jail terms are to run concurrently.

Also, the court convicted and sentenced Aregbesola and Udoh to seven years jail term each or pay the sum of N5,000,000( Five Million Naira) each as an option of a fine; Modupe bagged four four-year jail term with a fine option of a million.

The convicts commenced their journey to the Correctional centre when investigators of the Uyo Directorate of the Commission investigated them for their suspicious online presence and lifestyle. They were eventually charged to court and convicted.