A Federal High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State has sentenced Gerald Emeka Obielom, 25, to two years imprisonment for offences bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence and forgery.
Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo convicted the accused on each of the 11 count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He is to also forfeit $7,050, which the court ordered should be remitted to the victim, Ms Minda Faltado, as restitution.
Obielom, aka Gerald Bosco, was arrested on February 18, 2011 by operatives of the EFCC following a complaint by Faltado, a Filipina, that Obielom, using the name Gerald Bosco, in collaboration with his cohorts, deceived her through an online relationship (love scam) and fleeced her of $32,400, of which $7,050 was traced to Obielom.
The convict, an accountancy graduate, who is yet to perform the National Youth Service Corps scheme, confessed that he met the complainant on the internet, having fostered a relationship with her, started collecting money from her.
He said“I later introduced my friends – Henry Ibeh, Christian Nwokolo, Sunday Chinwuba and Valentine Nweke (all at large) – to her and they too started to chat with her, using my email address.
“Minda has been sending money to Henry Ibeh. who, in turn, has given me not less than $5,000 USD. Christian Nwokolo collected a total sum of USD 7,700; Valentine collected a total sum of USD 11,504. Sunday collected a total sum of USD 6,400.”