Internet fraudster bags jail term in Kaduna

The Kaduna Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of one Emuze Omosigho Emmanuel (aka Thomas Brooks) for offences bordering on cheating.

Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on July 8, 2019 found him guilty of the one-count charge preferred against him after he pleaded “guilty” to the charge.

A statement from the anti-graft agency says Emuze's journey to jail began when operatives acted on intelligence report indicating that he engages in fraudulent activities and had defrauded unsuspecting individuals of their hard-earned money.

The charge against him reads: “That you, Emuze Omosigho sometime in 2019 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kaduna State, did with intent to defraud attempted to commit an offence to wit: Cheating against one Julia Munoz of Lubbock, Texas, Martha French and Brenda Davis by sending them scam mails using your Instagram, Facebook and plenty of phishing e-mail addresses posing as one Thomas Brooks, with the aim of obtaining financial benefit for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 57 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under the same Section.”

He along side his other conspirators forged and impersonated documents purportedly emanating from different organisations where they claimed to be engineers and members of other reputable occupation.

Following his guilty plea, counsel for the EFCC, S.H Sa'ad, informed the court of the plea bargain agreement between the prosecution and the defence.

He was thereafter, sentenced to one year in prison with an option of N100,000 fine.