In a landmark judgment on Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, sentenced two internet fraudsters, Emmanuel Wisdom and Donald Etege, to two years in prison each for impersonation and defrauding victims under false pretenses. The court, presided over by Justice S. Pam, delivered the sentence following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC’s Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate had charged the duo on separate counts of obtaining money through fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media & Publicity for the EFCC, the charges detail the fraudulent activities of the two individuals.
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Donald Etege was found guilty of swindling Lisa Ricks out of $1,500 by falsely presenting himself as a Bitcoin trader. His charge reads: “That you, Donald Etege, sometime in 2024, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the total sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500) from one Lisa Ricks under the pretense that you are a Bitcoin trader, which you knew to be false, thereby committing an offense contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Similarly, Emmanuel Wisdom, who operated under the alias “Sam Freidrich,” was convicted for defrauding Tony Grozdan of $1,200, claiming he had the capacity to manage and yield profits from cryptocurrency investments. His charge reads: “That you, Emmanuel Wisdom, between the 10th day of August and the 1st day of October 2024, in Port Harcourt, obtained the sum of One Thousand Two Hundred Dollars ($1,200) from one Tony Grozdan, under the false pretense of managing cryptocurrency investments, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Both defendants pleaded guilty during their separate hearings. The prosecution, led by K.W. Chukwuma-Eneh and E.K. Bakam, presented documentary evidence, which the court admitted and marked as exhibits. The prosecution then urged the court to sentence the defendants in line with their offenses.
Defense lawyers O.F. Nwogu and C. Christopher did not contest the prosecution’s arguments but pleaded for leniency, noting that their clients were first-time offenders with no prior criminal records.
After considering the facts presented, Justice Pam handed down the two-year prison sentences, giving the convicts the option of paying ₦200,000 fines each instead. Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of all mobile phones used in fraudulent activities to the government and directed the convicts to file affidavits of good behavior.
Both men were arrested by EFCC operatives in October 2024 after investigations linked them to various online fraud schemes.
