Court Orders 18-Year-Old Fraudster To Pay N1.2m Over $800 Scam

An 18-year-old suspected web fraudster, Hassan Usman Olamilekan, has been sentenced to a high quality of N200,000 and ordered to pay N1 million to the Federal Government after admitting to defrauding an American citizen of $800 by a faux $250 million lottery scheme.

Justice Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, convicted Olamilekan on October 30, 2026, after he pleaded responsible to a one-count cost of cash laundering introduced towards him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC disclosed this in an announcement issued on Monday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.

The teenager reportedly impersonated a white American girl recognized as Julie Leach on the Zangi messaging software to deceive his sufferer, Gary Brewer, a United States citizen.

He allegedly instructed Brewer that he had received a $250 million lottery prize however wanted cash to activate the winnings earlier than he may entry the funds.

Using the fabricated lottery story, Olamilekan persuaded thd himworth of present playing cards present playing cards value $800 by the messaging platform.

According to the EFCC, the defendant admitted promoting the present playing cards by the Cardsonic software, changing the proceeds into naira and transferring the cash into his grandmother’s OPay account.

He additionally confessed to benefiting from $800 from the fraudulent transaction.

The fee stated Olamilekan operated a number of social media and messaging platforms, together with Facebook, Instagram, TikTook, Zangi and iMessage, as a part of his fraudulent actions.

The courtroom convicted him for not directly disguising the origin of $800 in present playing cards, opposite to Section 18(2)(a) and punishable beneath Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

In addition to the N200,000 high quality, Justice Dipeolu ordered him to remit N1 million to the Federal Government.

The choose additional ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71 cell phone recovered in reference to the offence.

Olamilekan is to stay within the correctional centre pending fee of the high quality and restitution.

The EFCC stated the 18-year-old, who claimed to be from the Republic of Benin however was born in Nigeria, was amongst 21 suspected web fraudsters arrested throughout a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.

The arrest adopted an operation by operatives of the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1.