US Court Sentences Nigerian, ‘Woodberry’ To Eight Years In Prison For Fraud

JACOB OLALEKAN PONLE (popularly known as Woodberry)  was given an eight-year and three-month jail sentence by a federal judge in the United States for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud.

According to court documents, Ponle was sentenced on 11 July 2023 by Judge Robert Gettleman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.

Gettleman said, “The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 100 months as to count.”

Gettleman gave Ponle instructions to present himself to the U.S. Marshal Service for transfer to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, where he would be allowed visits from his family members and his American fiancée.

The judge also stated that  Ponle will be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration”.

The court determined that the Nigerian-born fraudster had the financial ability to repay the full payment but waived all interest on the restitution value. He will now pay seven victims a total of nearly $8 million in restitution.

On 29 June, American prosecutors requested that Ponle get a 14-year prison term for the fraud he perpetrated between January and September of this year.

The prosecutors also asked the court for permission to sell the fraudster’s 152 bitcoins, but only after giving the public 30 days’ notice so that anyone with a claim might file one. When Woodberry was sentenced, it appeared that no one with a legitimate stake had come forward.

The prosecutors also suggested that Woodberry, who is well known for flaunting his lavish lifestyle on social media, forfeit properties held by the Dubai police, such as a Rolls-Royce, a Lamborghini Urus, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG G55, four Rolex watches, a Patek Philippe watch, and three Audemars Piguet watches.

In addition, he must surrender two bank cards, roughly $1,835 in Emirati dirhams, and around $15.45 in South African rands, along with five gold. 

Eighteen-Eleven Media