Olalekan Ponle, also known as Woodberry, was given an eight-year prison term on Tuesday by a district court in the United States for fraud.
Ramon Abbas, a fellow Nigerian who is as well-known as Hushpuppi, a person who was jailed for Internet fraud in November 2022, has Woodberry on his side.
Hushpuppi and Woodberry were detained in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and then brought to the US for separate trials.
Hushpuppi first rejected every accusation, but he eventually changed his plea and received an 11-year prison term.
Additionally, for more than two years, Woodberry, who was charged with defrauding a US corporation of around $188,000, maintained his innocence.
At a change of plea hearing in April at the US District Court for Northern Illinois, he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
In a decision issued on April 6, the court, Robert Gettleman, recognized the defendant’s change of plea.
“The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 100 months as to count,” Gettleman stated.
Additionally, the judge stated that Woodberry will be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration”.
Seven of Woodberry’s victims are anticipated to get reparations totaling nearly $8 million from him.
