Chima Nkwocha, also known as “Young Billionaire,” has been sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding an American woman, Linda Wheeler, out of $345,000.
According to a statement from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nkwocha was convicted after being arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
He faced two charges: cheating by impersonation and money laundering.
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One of the counts read: “That you, Chima Hyginus Nkwocha (AKA Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown & Chettot), sometime in 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently impersonate Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown, and Chiress Riffatt on Gmail and Google Voice using the Gmail addresses frankcorbett272@gmail.com and chriressrifatt@gmail.com with intent to defraud, fraudulently obtaining a cumulative sum of Three Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand Dollars ($345,000) from Linda Wheeler, an American, and receiving the naira equivalent through Ginux Global Nigeria Limited with account No. 1228782493 domiciled in Zenith Bank, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 22(2) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(4) of the Act.”
The EFCC reported that the defendant pleaded guilty to the charges when they were presented to him. After his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, Lanre Adeola Olanrewaju, outlined the case against Nkwocha and urged the court to convict him accordingly.
Olanrewaju stated that Nkwocha was arrested in August 2024 in the Lugbe area of Abuja, following intelligence gathered by the EFCC’s Advanced Fee Fraud Section.
During his arrest, authorities recovered several items, including a black Mercedes Benz ML 350 (registration number B-2 and chassis number 4JGDA5HB9DA105827), two gold necklaces with pendants, a gold bracelet, $2,200 in cash, and N90,280,934.00 in a Zenith Bank account (account number 1228782493), which Nkwocha solely controlled.
Other items seized included a three-bedroom terrace duplex at Cookies Court 2, 2nd Avenue, Ocean Palm Estate, Ogombo, Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos; a three-bedroom bungalow and two self-contained apartments on Plot B023, Standard Estate, Galadima, Abuja; and a 300-square-meter plot of land at Eko Beach City, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. Two Zenith Bank drafts, valued at N5,000,000 and N3,000,000, both dated September 12, 2024, and October 17, 2024, were also recovered, along with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Furthermore, Nkwocha admitted to impersonating Frank Nils, Frank Cobert, Frank Brown, and Chiress Riffatt through Gmail and Google Voice to defraud Wheeler.
“He received the naira equivalent through Ginux Global Nigeria Ltd’s Zenith Bank account. Olanrewaju tendered several pieces of evidence, including the defendant’s extrajudicial statements, electronic devices, and forensic investigation reports, among others.
“The defence raised no objections and the court admitted all evidence as exhibits. Justice Nwite, satisfied with the EFCC’s submissions, found Nkwocha guilty.
“The court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment with an option of a fine of N2,000,000. Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of the following items, being proceeds of crime, to the Federal Government of Nigeria: a black Mercedes Benz ML 350, gold jewellery and $2,200 cash, N90,280,934.00 in the Ginux Global Nigeria Ltd Zenith Bank account, properties in Lagos, Abuja, and Lekki, the Zenith Bank drafts and the electronic devices recovered from the convict.
“Nkwocha’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when he was arrested for internet fraud. He was charged to court and pleaded guilty to two counts of charges raised against him.
“The court thereafter found him guilty and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. The court ordered the forfeiture of all he fraudulently amassed to the government,” the statement added.
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