The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jabi, Abuja, has convicted and sentenced Praise Humphrey Igbo, also known as Jessica Allen, to one year in prison for internet fraud amounting to $115,000.
The judgment was delivered by Justice H.L. Abba-Aliyu on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted Igbo on a one-count charge of internet crime, criminal impersonation, obtaining money under false pretenses, and money laundering.
According to the EFCC, in a statement by it Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Igbo deceived an American victim, Aaron Baker, by posing as “Jessica Allen,” a successful cryptocurrency trader. The court was told that Igbo “fraudulently obtained 5.26 Bitcoins worth One Hundred and Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars ($115,000) by false pretense,” an act described as contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act Abuja, Cap 532 LFN 2004, and punishable under Section 324 of the same Act.
When the charge was read, Igbo pleaded guilty, prompting EFCC counsel M.K. Hussain to request his conviction and sentencing.
Justice Abba-Aliyu sentenced Igbo to one year in prison but gave him the option of paying a fine of ₦1 million. She also ruled that funds recovered from Igbo—$16,110 in cash, $67,487.79 worth of cryptocurrency, and money in his bank account—should be used to restitute the victim through the American Embassy.
The case began when Baker, a resident of East Baton Rouge Parish in the United States, petitioned the EFCC, alleging that Igbo, under the guise of offering a cryptocurrency investment opportunity on Blockchain.com, had swindled him.
Oyewale further reassured the public of the agency’s commitment to combating cybercrime and ensuring justice for victims.
