By Evelyn Usman
Justice M.A Onyetenu of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has jailed a beautician, Williams Kingsley, over internet fraud.
Kingsley was arraigned by the Uyo Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a one-count charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents.
The lone-count charge reads: “That you, Kingsley Williams “M” sometimes in 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did possess documents containing false pretences and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud- Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
In view of his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Enobong Ubokudom, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered the confessional statements of the defendant, his laptop, and fraudulent documents, which were all admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits A, B, C & D. Ubokudom thereafter urged the court to convict Kingsley as charged.
Defence counsel, Francis Ezike prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy and give his client, “a first-time offender”, a lesser sentence.
Justice Onyetenu sentenced him to four months imprisonment without an option of fine. The sentence runs from the date of arrest. The court further ordered that the laptop, used in committing the crime, be forfeited to the Federal government.
Kingsley’s journey to jail according to the Commission’s Head, Media, and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, started on November 4, 2022 when he was arrested, following an “ actionable intelligence concerning his online criminal activities”.
Upon arrest, he said, investigations revealed that he (suspect) specialized in an employment scam. His modus operandi was to lure his victims with job opportunities that never existed and deceived them into paying for fraudulent working tools for the phony jobs.
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