Lagos court docket jails 18-year-old suspect over $800 present card fraud

 An 18-year-old suspected web fraudster, Hassan Usman
Olamilekan, has been convicted and sentenced by a Federal High Court in Lagos
for laundering $800 obtained by way of a present card rip-off involving a United States
citizen.

 

Justice Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi,
handed down the judgment on October 30, 2026, after Olamilekan pleaded responsible
to a one-count cost of cash laundering introduced in opposition to him by the Lagos
Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

An announcement by the company mentioned that the cost was filed
below Section 18(2)(a) and punishable below Section 18(3) of the Money
Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The cost alleged that Olamilekan disguised the origin of
$800 in present playing cards, which fashioned a part of the proceeds of his illegal
actions.

It learn “That you, Hassan Usman Olamilekan, someday in
2026 in Lagos throughout the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court not directly
disguised the origin of the sum of $800 (Eight Hundred United States Dollars)
in present playing cards, which sum types a part of the proceeds of your illegal exercise,
and also you thereby dedicated an offence opposite to Section 18(2)(a) and
punishable below Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and
Prohibition) Act, 2022”.

After the defendant entered his responsible plea, an EFCC
operative, Ebuka Abanga, reviewed the info of the case earlier than the court docket.

Justice Dipeolu subsequently discovered Olamilekan responsible and
convicted him of the offence.

The court docket imposed a tremendous of N200,000 on him and ordered him
to pay N1 million to the Federal Government of Nigeria as restitution.

He is to stay within the correctional centre till he pays the
tremendous and the restitution ordered by the court docket.

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

Investigations by the EFCC revealed that Olamilekan, who’s
18 years outdated, claimed to be from the Republic of Benin however was born in Nigeria.

He was reportedly concerned in lottery scams and operated
a number of social media and messaging platforms, together with Facebook, Instagram,
TikTok, Zangi and iMessage.

The investigation additional confirmed that he met his alleged
sufferer, Gary Brewer, a United States citizen, by way of the Zangi software,
the place he posed as a white American lady named Julie Leach.

Olamilekan reportedly instructed Brewer that he had received a lottery
prize of $250 million however wanted cash to activate the winnings earlier than he may
declare the prize.

He then persuaded the American to ship him present playing cards
by way of the messaging platform.

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

He additionally confessed to receiving a complete of $800 from the
fraudulent scheme.

Olamilekan was amongst 21 suspected web fraudsters
arrested by EFCC operatives hooked up to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 throughout a
sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on
October 26, 2026.

The arrest got here 4 days earlier than his conviction and
sentencing by the Federal High Court.

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