The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced an online fraudster, Courage Ipaka for impersonating Nigerian musician, Chinedu Okoli popularly known as Flavour N’abania to dupe a United States citizen.
Ipaka was sentenced to two years imprisonment for duping the U.S. citizen, Mrs Yvelte M. Thompson $53,000 with Flavour’s identity.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu convicted Ipaka on Tuesday following his guilty plea to a two-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Prosecution counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, led EFCC investigator Azibagiri Dan Ekpar in evidence against the defendant.
The witness told the court that Ipaka impersonated Flavour by pledging to organise shows in the United States of America and receiving payment through his Bitcoin wallets.
Ekpar explained that the EFCC got wind of the fraud following a petition written by one Eyitayo Tolulope Abiodun and others on behalf of the victim.
“We invited Flavour who honoured the invitation and claimed innocence of the allegations. Upon investigation, we discovered that one Ipaka Courage who lives in Benin City was the perpetrator,” he said.
“We invited the defendant, and he admitted in his statement that he impersonated Flavour by obtaining the sum of $53,000 from a woman who is a United States citizen in 2021.
“He wired the funds through Bitcoin wallets and converted them in his Access Bank account where he received the value in Naira.
“The sum of N7.9m Naira was recovered from the defendant through Zenith and Access Bank manager’s cheques.”
Following the defendant’s guilty plea and upon reviewing the prosecution’s evidence against him, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Ipaka to two years imprisonment but with an option of a fine of N2 million.
The judge also forfeited the sum of N7.9m recovered from the convict to Mrs Thompson.