Emmanuel OchayiJustice J.K Omotosho Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced Eze Harrisson Arinze of defrauding 34 victims across 13 countries, swindling them out of $592,000.
Arinze faced a re-arraignment on a single count charge that encompassed impersonation and obtaining funds under pretenses.
The amended charge accused him of fraudulently posing as Charlotte Brain, the purported owner of the digitrades.netxxxxxxxxxxxxxx investment platform on Telegram, and obtaining cryptocurrency valued at $592,000 from users on the Coinbase exchange.
During the proceedings, Arinze pleaded guilty to the charge brought against him. The prosecution counsel, Christopher Mshelia, urged the court to proceed with the conviction and sentencing, given the defendant’s admission of guilt.
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Ogunjobi Olalekan, a detective from the EFCC and a prosecuting witness, testified that evidence gathered during the investigation included printouts from the defendant’s email, records from various digital currency platforms, and information from the defendant’s Telegram page under the alias ‘Digi-trade.’
This evidence showcased a cumulative sum of $592,000 in cryptocurrency as of December 4, 2023. Olalekan revealed that the defendant was subsequently summoned to provide statements under caution.
Justice Omotosho, in delivering the verdict, sentenced Arinze to three years imprisonment or a fine of N3,000,000. Additionally, the judge ordered restitution, mandating the return of 11.07 Bitcoins valued at $461,280.70 to the 34 identified victims across 13 countries.
Furthermore, a sum of N37,977,108 held in Arinze’s bank accounts and a plot of land in Enugu State were to be forfeited to the Federal Government.
His victims hailed from diverse locations such as Burundi, Cameroun, Costa Rica, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, the United States of America, and Zimbabwe.
The conviction marks a milestone in the EFCC’s efforts to combat cybercrime, emphasizing the consequences and penalties faced by individuals involved in fraudulent activities.
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