A federal judge in the United States has sentenced Jacob Olalekan Ponle, better known as Woodberry, a Nigerian scammer, to 8 years in jail.
Ponle acknowledged to defrauding a company of more than $15 million before being found guilty of one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
Woodberry, who was apprehended in 2020, was good friends with Ramon Abbas, alias Hushpuppi, another fraudster from Nigeria who was just given an 11-year prison sentence in the US.
Ponle and Abbas were well-known for their sophisticated fraud operations, which included committing fraud against people and companies all around the world.
In Hushpuppi’s case, he would approach potential victims under the guise of a respectable businessperson and offer them investment opportunities. Ponle would take the victims’ money after they agreed to make an investment.
Ponle will be required to make restitution to the victim of his fraud scheme in addition to serving a prison term. After serving his term, he will also be deported to Nigeria.
