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 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, including fraud against people and companies worldwide.
In Hushpuppi’s case, he approached potential victims as a respectable businessperson and offered them investment opportunities. After they agreed to invest, Ponle took the victims’ money.
Ponle will serve a prison term and be required to make restitution to the victim of his fraud scheme. After serving his term, he will be deported to Nigeria.
