A 27-year-old Nigerian identified as Funso Hassan has been sent to jail along with six other United States citizens over their roles in an online scam scheme.
The Nigerian man from Ibadan was along with one Anthony Shane Jeffers, 44, of Maryville, Tennessee, sentenced to 10 years in prison while others implicated in the online fraud scandal, Ann Louise Franzen, 70, of Kiln, Mississippi; Gary Melvin Barnard, 64, of Palestine, Texas; Michele Gayle Fee, 55, of Stockton, California; Tanya Lynn Thomas, 52, of Turlock, California; and Shawn Ann White, 44, of Manteca, California, each got a five year sentence.
The arrest was made following investigations into the distribution of $40 million counterfeit checks using ‘mystery shopper’ websites by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
In addition to the original sentence, the presiding judge, U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr., of the Southern District of Mississippi further imposed a 3 year supervised release following completion of individual sentences.