Justice P.I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on Monday pronounced a graduate of Criminology and Security Services, Adeusi Demola Olatunji, guilty and sentenced him to four months in prison after being found guilty of internet-related offence filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan zonal office.
Olatunji was found guilty of a one-count amended charge of criminal impersonation, according to the acting head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Tony Orilade.
Olatunji, otherwise known as Piero Luchas, was originally arraigned on a six-count charge to which he pleaded not guilty.
The one-count charge he was convicted of was consequent upon a plea bargain agreement he later had with the commission. He pleaded guilty to the amended charge when read o him on Monday.
The convict, who claimed to have graduated from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State in 2014, was arrested on February 8, 2019, at Elebu Oja, Ibadan, Oyo State.
His modus operandi, according to EFCC investigations, was to present himself as Piero Luchas, a white Male with email address jeremy.david564@gmail.com, to dupe his victims.
The offence is contrary to Section 22(3)(b) and punishable under Section 22(4) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act 2015.
After pleading guilty to the amended charge, the EFCC counsel, Mabas Mabur, urged the court to accept the plea bargain agreement and convict him accordingly. The court granted the prayer.
Besides the four months jail term, Olatunji was also ordered to refund the sum of $1800 (One thousand Eight hundred United States of American Dollars) as restitution to one of his victims.
He will also forfeit his Infinix phone, iPhone 6 and a Toshiba Laptop to the Federal Government of Nigeria, being part of the benefit he derived from his fraudulent act.
The conviction takes effect from the day of his arrest.
