The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC have sent to ti prison Miracle Osag (a.k.a Cynthiaray), Joshua Omotayo (a.k.a Christopher Wittland), Victory James (a.k.a Michael Lan Rosales), Yunus Abdulwasiu (a.k.a Gloria Mathew), and Anita Yusuf as read by Justice N.U. Sadiq of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna for internet fraud and obstruction.
They were apprehended in Kaduna at various locations based on intelligence that they had defrauded unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money.
“That you, Miracle Osag (a.k.a Cynthiaray), sometime in July 2023 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did commit an offence to wit; cheating by impersonation wherein you falsely presented yourself as one Cynthiaray on Instagram, an online social media platform, and in such assumed identity, cheated one John Morgan the total sum of $120 Dollars (One Hundred and Twenty United States Dollars) and thus committed an offence contrary to the constitution
“That you, Yunus Abdulwasiu (a.k.a Gloria Mathew), obtained the sum of $150 US dollars (One Hundred and Fifty US Dollars) from one Andrea Werner between January and April 2023 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court when you presented yourself as Gloria Mathew a white woman from Portland Oregon via Facebook (a social media application) and thus committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law of 2017
They all entered guilty pleas to the charges. As a result, the prosecuting team, lead by M. Lawal, requested the court to convict them.
Justice Sadiq found James, Osag, and Omotayo guilty and sentenced them to two years in prison or a fine of N150,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), while Abdulwasiu was sentenced to one year in prison without the option of a payment. Anita Yusuf received a N20,000 fine.
The accused must surrender to the Federal Government of Nigeria all gadgets used in perpetrating the crime.