Man Poses As Lesbian On Social Media To Defraud American Woman (Photo)

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a man, Mr. Kelechi Nwaturuocha, for allegedly posing as a lesbian on social media to defraud an American, Vanessa Rose. 

Nwaturuocha was arraigned before Justice Darius Khobo of State High Court Kaduna on a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and cheating. 

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said that Nwaturuocha sometime in 2019, disguised himself as a lesbian named Donna Walshak on the social media, and used the false identity to defraud Rose, who sent him steam cards worth $1,900.  Nwaturuocha converted it to cash by selling same on internet. 

The money, according to investigation, was wired to him through the accounts of two Nigerian ladies domiciled in two new generation banks. 

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him. Consequently, the prosecuting counsel, E. K. Garba, urged the court to fix a date for hearing of the case while the defence counsel, E. A. Audu, asked for the bail of the defendant. After listening to both counsel, the judge fixed January 20, 2020 for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial, while remanding the defendant in the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kaduna. In another development, Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, convicted a fraudster, Temitope Bambo.

The convict, who was prosecuted on impersonation and Internet fraud charge, was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment. The charge against him reads: 

“That you, Temitope Bambo alias Melisa Cole, on or about the 22nd day of October, 2019, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kwara State, did attempt to cheat by impersonation, when you represented yourself as Melisa Cole, a white female to Dajuan Jacobs, an American citizen, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same law.” The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge brought against him by the EFCC.

 While reviewing the facts of the case, Lamidi Ibrahim, an operative of the EFCC, told the court that the defendant was arrested along with three others based on intelligence reports.

He said they all confessed to the crime. Delivering judgement, Justice Oyinloye said the plea of the defendant and the testimony of the prosecution witness (PW1) were enough to convince the court that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The judge, however, ordered that an iPhone 6 recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.