The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Benin Zonal Office on Wednesday secured the conviction of one Onovo Osita Malachy at the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State.
The convict was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretense. He was said to have fraudulently obtained the sum of $140,000 from a foreigner through a love scam.
Upon arraignment, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge. The charge reads: “That you Onovo Osita Malachy on or about July 4, 2017 in Benin, Edo State, did by means of fraudulent trick to wit: love scam on a dating site obtained the sum of $140,000 from Helen Wang and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 421 of the Criminal Code Act CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
Based on his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Larry Aso Peters, prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly. The defense counsel, I. U. Uchechukwu, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendant “has become remorseful”. Read more