Justice A.A Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced a fake beauty promoter, Ogunleye Samson Oluwasola, to ten years imprisonment for cheating and obtaining by false pretence.
The convict was jailed after pleading guilty to one-count charge bordering on cheating and obtaining by false pretense, preferred against him by the Kaduna Zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The lone count charge reads: “That you Ogunleye Samson Oluwasola sometime in March, 2023 in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently induced one Solomon Suzie to deliver to you the sum of N740, 000.00 (Seven Hundred and Forty Thousand naira) for an online photo contest, a pretence which you knew to be false and you thereby committed the offence of cheating contrary to Section 306(a) and punishable under Section 307 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State, 2017.”
He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
Based on his plea, prosecution counsel, M. Lawal prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Thereafter, Jsutice Isiaka sentenced and convicted Samson to 10 years imprisonment.
He also forfeited two iPhones, Mercedes Benz E350, 2011 model, Toyota Camry 2011 XLE to the federal government.
He has also restituted the sum of N740, 000 to the victim.
According to an EFCC statement, Oluwasola’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when a petitioner, Solomon Suzie, petitioned the EFCC alleging that she came across a beauty contest post on WhatsApp and indicated interest.
She said she joined the group and participated after which she was selected as one of the contestants.
The petitioner added that she was constantly making payments for votes amounting to N740, 000.00 to an account provided by the group admin with no winner announced.
She was asked to pay more money and sensing foul play, she petitioned the EFCC.
“Investigation further revealed that the entire scheme, tagged “Online Photo Contest,” was designed by the suspect, the sole proprietor in 2020, to defraud unsuspecting members of the public of their money,” the EFCC said.