A court in the United States has sentenced Babatunde Ayeni to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Peoples Gazette reports that the court filings from the District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, which it obtained, showed that the court ordered Ayeni to pay approximately $20 million to victims of his scam.
According to the report, Ayeni, an internet fraudster, pleaded guilty to the fraud charge, leading the judge to hand him a 120-month sentence.
U.S. Judge Terry Moorer, on October 31, ordered Ayeni to pay $19,599,969 as restitution to all the individuals and entities he defrauded, although the convict had stopped scamming people since April 2019.
The court waived the interest required on the restitution for Ayeni, having determined that he “lacked the ability to pay.”
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Ayeni was asked to pay the restitution alongside co-conspirators Feyisayo Oyindola Oginsanwo and Yusuf Olasunkanmi Lasisi.
The U.S. immigration authority will determine whether Ayeni will be deported immediately after serving his sentence or if he will be allowed to stay in America under three years of supervised release with stringent rules.
Ayeni’s prosecution for fraud on foreign soil adds to a long list of Nigerians who have been jailed by various United States courts.
Credible News.ng
