A 19-year old secondary school leaver, Tobechukwu Igbokwe, has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for defrauding an American, M. Silva of the sum of $40 million in an inheritance scam.
19-year old sentenced to 37 years in prison
The offender confessed to duping other foreign victims.
Tobechukwu Igbokwe with a prison guard
Justice Lateef Lawal Akapo of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, gave the ruling on Wednesday, March 16, 2016.
Tobechukwu was arraigned before the court on a 12- count charge bordering on forgery, conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences.
The Justice found him guilty of all the charges, sentencing him to 7 years on counts 1 to 8; 8 years on count 9; 7 years on count 10, 8 years on count 11 and 7 years on count 12, making a cumulative of 37 years imprisonment.
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The offender is also expected to return the $40 million he collected from his victim, and hand over a Toyota Corolla vehicle to the Federal Government of Nigeria, which is a proceed from the crime.
He had on Monday, October 28, 2013, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, but later changed his plea to guilty.
Tobechukwu is one of the many young Nigerians who are involved in advance fee fraud and all sort of financial related crime.
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