Justice M.T.M. Aliyu of Kaduna High Court on Thursday, sentenced one Mark Paul to one year imprisonment for internet fraud.
The convict pleaded guilty to the allegation brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Aliyu, however, gave the convict an option of N300,000 fine and also ordered him to restitute the sum of $2,000 to one David Fred, his victim.
Aliyu ordered the forfeiture of two HP laptops, a printer and two iPhone X, being items recovered from Paul, to the Federal Government.
Earlier, the EFCC counsel, P. C. Onyeneho, had told the court that the convict was arrested by operatives of the Commission during a sting operation.
Onyeneho said the convict was arrested based on intelligence received on his internet-related fraud activities.
According to him, the convict fraudulently presented himself as Peter Weller, an American Bitcoin manager, to his victim on Facebook and Instagram and obtained the sum $2,000 dollars from him.
He said that on receiving the Intelligence, the convict was arrested at his residence at Ungwan Rimi, Kaduna.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 22 (2) (b)(i) of the Cyber Crime (Prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act 2015.