A 21 year-old internet fraudster, Jatto Sheriff Umar, who posed as the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, in order to defraud unsuspecting victims via online relationship, was on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 convicted and sentenced to prison for impersonation and cybercrime.
Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin found Jatto Sheriff Umar guilty on two count charge of impersonation and cybercrime, and accordingly sentenced him to six month imprisonment.
Jatto (Zuckerberg’s impostor) was sent to six months imprisonment each on count one and two, to run concurrently at Mandala Correctional Centre. The sentences are however suspended, but the convict would be reporting to official of the Correctional Centre. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 12 pro, laptop and manager’s cheque, which he raised as restitution to his victims.
The convict who was arraigned before the Court by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) for the offences had pleaded guilty.
Four other youths were also convicted and sentenced, including a fake US Military Officer, Oguntoyinbo Oluwatobi Damilola, they also pleaded guilty to their charges.
They are Taiwo Akinyemi Kayode from Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State and Adebayo Adeola Mark from Osi in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State,
The rest are Adedoyin Olayinka from Ilesha West Local Government Area of Osun State and one Yusuf Alameen Abiodun from Igbo-Owu Area of Kwara State who were tried and convicted by Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the same Kwara State High Court .
The judge gave Damilola a suspended sentence of six months imprisonment on count one and two, to run concurrently, while ordering the forfeiture of the phone used to perpetrate the crime to the federal government.
Justice Abdulgafar also sentenced Taiwo to a suspended term of six months imprisonment. The court ordered that the convict’s Black Toyota Corolla Car with registration number LRN237RA, Dell Laptop, and one IPhone 11 pro be forfeited to the federal government.
Similar sentence was imposed on Mark as the court jailed him six months, which shall be suspended, while ordering the forfeiture of the phone used in committing the crime.
While, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Olayinka to six months imprisonment each on count one and two, to run concurrently with option of fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) on each count.
In the same vein, the judge sentenced Abiodun to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira). The court also ordered the forfeiture of a draft of N135,000 (One Hundred and Thirty Five Thousand Naira) raised as restitution to the victim of the crime as well as iPhone XR used as instrumentality of the crime.