Yahoo boy goes to jail

Justice A. M. Liman of the Federal High Court, Benin, has convicted and sentenced one Larry Edomwonyi, aka Markus Erixson, to six years imprisonment. He was sentenced to three years each on two of the six counts of obtaining money by false pretence preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The sentences are to run concurrently from the date of his arrest. The EFCC’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the the convict was among the suspected Internet fraudsters,popularly known as Yahoo boys, who were arrested by members of the operation Pulo Shield of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin, in 2013. The charge on which the accused was convicted reads, “That you Larry Edomwonyi, aka Markus Erixson, on or about July 15, 2012 at No. 56 Siluko Road, Benin City, under the jurisdiction of this court with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum $1,000 from one Pat, an American national through Western Money under the false pretence that you are a British Citizen and in love with her and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1 (3) of the same Act.”