Crime

EFCC arrests Fake ‘Frederick Leonard’ for love scam

Published

2 years ago

March 23, 2023

A Federal High Court sitting in Kuje, has sentenced one Aiosa Kelvin Orhue alias Fredrick Leonard to prison for engaging in love scam.

The EFCC Abuja Zonal Command, arraigned Orhue before Justice C.E. Nwecheonwu and he was convicted for defrauding a woman named Cheryldene Cook of over N104 million (One Hundred And Four Million Naira).

In a statement by the anti-graft agency, the convict pleaded guilty to three count charge bordering on fraud and love scam.

One of the counts reads;

“That you, Aiosa Kelvin Orhue (aka Fredrick Leonard) sometime in 2021, at Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, by false pretense and with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N104,000,000 (One Hundred and Four Million Naira) only from one Cheryldene Cook, that you are one Frederick Leonard who is in love with her and you made her to believe that you are going to marry her which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 1 (1)(a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.”

Another count read:

“Orhue (aka Fredrick Leonard), still claiming to be in love with Cherydene Cook and using the Instagram handle @burgerde defrauded her of the sum of $26,020 (Twenty Six Thousand and Twenty Dollars) only, an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 321 and 322 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation (Abuja) 1990 respectively.”

Justice Nwechonwu convicted and sentenced him to a year imprisonment with an option of fine of N1, 000,000 only.

The properties ordered by the court to be forfeited by Orhue include a three bedroom semi-detached duplex located in Edo state, a Lexus E350 saloon car, the sum of N19,000,000 domiciled in a commercial bank in Nigeria.

Others are: all furniture in above mentioned house, the sum of $1,858.67 and $1,000 domiciled in two different bank accounts in Nigeria, iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung A31.

All items are to be forfeited to the Federal Government in restitution to the victim.