Man poses as lesbian on social media, defrauds American lady $1900USD

Juliana Francis

Mr Kelechi Nwaturuocha has been arrested and arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) for posing as a lesbian on social media and under that guise defrauded an American lady identified as Vanessa Rose.

Nwaturuocha was arraigned before Justice Darius Khobo of State High Court Kaduna on a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and cheating.

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said that Nwaturuocha sometime in 2019, disguised himself as a lesbian named Donna Walshak on the social media, and used the false identity to defraud Vanessa Rose, who sent him steam cards worth $1900USD.  Nwaturuocha converted it to cash by selling same on internet. The money, according to investigation, was wired to him through the accounts of two Nigerian ladies domiciled in two new generation banks.

Count one of the charge reads, "that you, Nwaturuocha Linjunior Kelechi sometime in 2019 at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently induce Vanessa Rose, an American citizen, living in the United States of America to deliver an aggregate sum of $1900 through steam cards to you, which you converted to naira in the sum of N380,000, which she would not have done but for your deceit by misrepresenting yourself as Donna Roberts Walshak to her on Facebook and Gmail hangout social media and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law No.5 of 2017.”

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him. Consequently, the prosecuting counsel E.K Garba urged the court to fix a date for hearing of the case while the defence counsel E.A Audu asked for the bail of the defendant.

The judge after listening to both counsels fixed January 20, 2020 for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial, while remanding the defendant in the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kaduna.

In another development, the EFCC yesterday secured the conviction of Temitope Bambo before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara State High Court, Ilorin. The convict, who was prosecuted on impersonation and Internet fraud charge, was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment.

The charge against him reads "That you, Temitope Bambo, alias Melisa Cole on or about the 22nd day of October, 2019, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kwara State, did attempt to cheat by impersonation, when you represented yourself as Melisa Cole, a white female to Dajuan Jocobs, an American citizen, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same law."

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge brought against him by the EFCC.  While reviewing the facts of the case, Lamidi Ibrahim, an operative of the EFCC told the court that the defendant was arrested along with three others based on intelligence reports. He said they all confessed to the crime. 

Delivering Judgment,  Justice Oyinloye said the plea of the defendant and the testimony of the prosecution witness (PW1) were enough to convince the court that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. 

The Judge however ordered that an iPhone 6 recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.