Olalekan Ponle, also known as Woodberry, a Nigerian scammer, has pled guilty to a fraud allegation in a US federal court.
Woodberry is well-known to be an ally of Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, a Nigerian international fraudster who was imprisoned last year.
Both guys were arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2020 for large worldwide web frauds and were brought to the United States to face separate trials.
Hushpuppi, who first pled not guilty, changed his plea to guilty in April 2021, shortly before the start of a full-fledged trial. The US District Court for the Central District of California, where prosecutors prosecuted him, sentenced him to 11 years in prison and ordered him to pay $1.7 million in restitution in November 2022.
Woodberry also first pled not guilty to an eight-count fraud allegation stemming from his participation in a scam known as business email compromise (BEC). During a change of plea hearing in the US District Court for Northern Illinois in April, he performed a U-turn and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Woodberry was obliged to reimburse the $8 million he fraudulently earned from the seven corporations that fell for his con, according to his plea bargain.
The document containing Woodberry’s signed plea declaration states, “Defendant understands that by pleading guilty, he will subject to forfeiture to the United States all right, title, and interest that he has in any property constituting or derived from proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of the offence.”
Woodberry was also requested to relinquish ownership of the fancy automobiles and designer watches he had stowed in Dubai.
Rolls-Royce Cullinan (J9153), Lamborghini Urus (N4973), and Mercedes-Benz G-class are among the high-end vehicles (G68816).
Four Rolex watches, one Patek Philippe watch, three Audemars Piguet watches, three gold and diamond-studded earrings, and six gold neck chains were also taken.
Last year, he forfeited 151.8 Bitcoin, or almost $6 million, to the US authorities, which was determined to retrieve all stolen funds from the Nigerian scammer.
After accepting Woodberry’s plea deal with US prosecutors, the judge, Robert Gettleman, slated July 11 for sentence.
The court assigned the matter to the Probation Department for a pre-sentence inquiry and report, which would help him decide what punishment to impose.
He gave the US government 60 days before the sentence date to furnish a list of victims and their full current contact information to the Probation Office and the courtroom deputy in order to secure the court’s order of restitution.
“Any monies entitled to reparation shall be included on the list.” If the government is unable to give the whole victim list 60 days before sentence, they must file a motion requesting an extension of time to gather the material, according to the judge.
Woodberry was detained in Dubai on June 10, 2020, along with Hushpuppi, who is presently serving an 11-year term for a similar fraud allegation, according to KanyiDaily.
