Victor Ezeja
Hushpuppi’s associate, Jacob Olalekan Ponle, known better as ‘Mr. Woodberry,’ has been sentenced to eight years and three months in prison for his role in coordinating a multimillion-dollar fraud.
Ponle was handed the prison sentence on Tuesday, at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago by a federal judge, Robert Gettleman.
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Gettleman said: “The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 100 months as to count.”
The Nigerian-born fraudster, Ponle, was convicted on one count of fraud in Chicago. Seven other counts were dismissed following a plea bargain in April.
The judge ordered Ponle to submit himself to the U.S. Marshal Service for his transfer to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, where his loved ones can come to visit him.
He said Ponle will be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration.”
Ponle who is known for flaunting his flamboyant lifestyle on social media, has been asked by prosecutors to forfeit items in the Dubai police custody, such as one Rolls Royce, Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG G55, four Rolex watches, one Patek Philippe watch, and three Audemars Piguet watches.
He will also have to pay seven victims about $8 million in restitution, with the court finding that he has the capacity to make the full payment but waived all interests on the restitution value.
Ponle was arrested on June 10, 2020, alongside Ramon Abbas, popularly known as ‘Hushpuppi’, who was jailed late last year for 11 years in the U.S. for cybercrime.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
