Man impersonates female US soldier, rakes in $5,000, jailed

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced one Chukwuema Samuel Andrew to 30 months’ imprisonment for posing as United States of America female soldier and defrauding his victim of $5,300.

The Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Andrew before the court on two charges bordering on advance fee fraud contrary to 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.

The counts read partly, “That you, Chukwuema Samuel Andrew (aka Mary Parlier) sometime in April, 2021 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of $5,300 (Five Thousand Three Hundred Dollars) under the pretext of being Mary Parlier, a female soldier serving in Yemen as a computer operator, a pretext which to your knowledge was false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

He pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him, prompting prosecution counsel, B. O. Agala to pray the court to convict and sentence him accordingly, while defence counsel P. U. Ogbuehi prayed the judge to temper justice with mercy.

Justice Ajoku convicted and sentenced Andrew to 30 months’ imprisonment.  Besides his prison term, he forfeited his Redmi mobile phone and iPhone 12 Pro to the Federal Government and deposed to an affidavit of good behaviour before the court.

The convict’s journey to the prison began when he was nabbed by EFCC operatives for internet fraud sometime in June, 2023, at Golf Estate, Port Harcourt in an operation code named “Eagle Sweep.”

His profiling revealed that he became involved in different shades of cybercrime including dating and romance scam in 2021.

The $5,300 proceeds of crime he earned was sent to him as itunes cards, steam cards and Bitcoins through his vendor who converted them to naira values via his Access Bank and United Bank for  Africa accounts.

Meanwhile, the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has stated that, individuals who obstruct the Commission or its officers in the exercise of their duties run afoul of Section 38(a)(b) of the Commission’s Establishment Act. The same, he said, also applies to those who fail to comply with lawful enquiries or demands made by authorised officers of the Commission.

The EFCC Chairman, who was represented  by Chief Superintendent of EFCC, CSE Itoro Levi Azuogu, Head CTGI 2, Port Harcourt Zonal Command, disclosed this during a lecture organised by officers of Advanced and Intelligence Intermediate Course of the Nigerian Navy on the “History, Roles and Organisation of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission” at the Navy Intelligence School Ubima, Rivers State.