An 18-year-old internet fraud suspect, Hassan Usman Olamilekan has been convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, over a $800 money laundering offence linked to a lottery scam.
Justice Dipeolu delivered the judgment on October 30, 2026, following Olamilekan’s arraignment by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The defendant was charged with money laundering under Section 18(2)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, an offence punishable under Section 18(3) of the same law.
Olamilekan pleaded guilty to the charge, after which an EFCC operative, Ebuka Abanga, presented the facts of the case before the court found him guilty.
The court imposed a fine of ₦200,000 on the defendant and ordered him to pay ₦1 million in restitution to the Federal Government.
Justice Dipeolu further directed that Olamilekan will remain in the correctional centre until he fulfils the financial obligations imposed on him.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71 mobile phone recovered in connection with the crime.
According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that Olamilekan, who claimed to be from the Republic of Benin but was born in Nigeria, allegedly used several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Zangi and iMessage, to perpetrate internet fraud.
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The commission said the defendant allegedly met his victim, an American citizen identified as Gary Brewer, through the Zangi application, where he impersonated a white American woman named Julie Leach.
Olamilekan reportedly told Brewer that he had won a $250 million lottery but needed to pay money to activate the prize before he could receive the winnings.
He subsequently persuaded the victim to send gift cards through the messaging platform.
The EFCC disclosed that the defendant admitted selling the gift cards through the Cardsonic application, converting the proceeds into naira and transferring the money to his grandmother’s OPay account.
He also confessed to receiving $800 from the fraudulent transaction.
Olamilekan was among 21 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by EFCC operatives during a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.
NAN
