Fraudster Who Claimed To Be US Army Sergeant On Facebook Lands In Jail

An internet fraudster (Yahoo Boy), Ken Odiase, who defrauded four white women of huge sums of money has been convicted and sentenced to a one-month imprisonment by Justice C.N. Orji of the FCT High Court sitting in Abuja.

Odiase, alias Phillip Iowell was prosecuted by the Abuja Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

An EFCC statement issued on Wednesday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Tony Orilade, said the convict, who pleaded guilty was first arraigned on October 15, 2019 on a one count charge bordering on computer related fraud and obtaining money by false pretense.

“Following plea of guilt, the court convicted and sentenced him to a one-month imprisonment with an option of a fine of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) and ordered him to forfeit all the proceeds of crime to the Federal Government,” the statement read partly.

The statement noted that Odiase was amongst the fraudsters arrested by the anti-graft agency on Thursday, September 26, 2019 at No 5 Arbe-Saibra Dantata Estate, Kubwa, Abuja, following intelligence.

According to the statement, items recovered during the raid included mobile phones, laptop computers and a Mercedes C350 worth N3.5m (Three Million Five Hundred Naira).

The statement continued: “Investigations revealed that Ken lured his victims mainly based in United States of America, USA, via a Facebook profile with the name: Sergeant Phillip Iowell under the pretense of being a military personnel working with the USA Army on a mission in Syria.

“He had successfully defrauded his victims of a total of $3,900; $2,000 from Lucinda Macaulay; $500 from Marie; $800 from Katherine and $600 from Sara. The monies were wired to him through Western Union into his First Bank account in Nigeria,” it concluded.