Federal Judge in the United States has sentenced Jacob Olalekan Ponle, also known as Woodberry, to eight-year and three-month imprisonment for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud.
According to court fillings obtained by Peoples Gazette, Ponle was sentenced on 11th July, 2023 by Judge Robert Gettleman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.
The Judge said, “The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 100 months as to count.”
He further gave Ponle instructions to present himself to the U.S. Marshal Service for transfer to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, adding that he could be busted my his family members.
Gentleman also stated that, Ponle will be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration”.
The court also ordered him to pay seven victims a total of nearly $8 million in restitution.
On June 29, American prosecutors had requested that Ponle, a.k.a. Woodberry, get a 14-year prison term for the fraud he perpetrated between January and September of this year.
The prosecutors also asked the court for permission to sell the fraudster’s 152 bitcoins, but only after giving the public 30 days’ notice so that anyone with a claim might file one. When Woodberry was sentenced, it appeared that no one with a legitimate stake had come forward.
The prosecutors also recommended that the Nigerian born, who is well known for flaunting his lavish lifestyle on social media, forfeit properties held by the Dubai police, such as a Rolls-Royce, a Lamborghini Urus, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG G55, four Rolex watches, a Patek Philippe watch, and three Audemars Piguet watches.
In addition, he is to forfeit three gold and diamond-studded rings, five gold bracelets and two gold bracelet keys, six gold neck chains, one gold and diamond-studded necklace, one small gold nugget, two bank cards, about $1,835 in Emirati dirhams, and approximately $15.45 in South African rands.
Ponle was detained on June 10, 2020, along with Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for computer fraud in the US last year.
