Two Internet Fraudsters Bag 16 Months Jail Term

One of the convicts

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, convicted and sentenced two Internet fraudsters, Akinleye Sheriff, a.k.a. Tracy Gifford, and Ganiyu Sheriff Abiodun, a.k.a Sandra Avri, to one year and four months imprisonment respectively for possession of fraudulent documents, an offence contrary to Section 320 (1) (c) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State No. 11 of 2015.

The convicts, who were arrested by officials of the EFCC during a raid at the Ologolo-Igbo Efon area of Lagos State on March 13, 2019, were arraigned today on a one-count charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Akinleye Sheriff (a.k.a Tracy Gifford) and Ganiyu Sherif Abiodun (a.k.a Sandra Avril), on or about the 13th day of March 2019, at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, have in your possession a document wherein you falsely represented yourselves as Tracy Gifford and Sandra Avril respectively when you knew or ought to know, having regard to the circumstances of the case that the documents contain false pretence.”

The defendants pleaded guilty to the one count charge preferred against them.

The prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari Bala, informed the court of a plea bargain entered into by the defendants with the Commission and also prayed that they be convicted accordingly.

Delivering her judgment, Justice Dada convicted and sentenced the defendants to one year and four months imprisonment with an option of N250, 000 fine.

The Judge further ordered the forfeiture of a Lexus SUV 15250, HP Beat Studio laptop, two I-phone Xs Gold, one black Nokia Torch, one Acer laptop and one Apple Mac Book Air recovered from the defendants to the Federal Government.