Connect with us

Headline

US Court Sentences Woodberry To Eight Tears In Prison

Published

on

A federal judge in the United States has sentenced Jacob Olalekan Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, to eight years and three months in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar fraud.

Woodberry was sentenced on Tuesday by Judge Robert Gettleman of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.

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 said.

Advertisement

Ponle was sentenced after being convicted on one count of fraud. Seven other counts were dismissed following a plea bargain in April.

READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Real Madrid’s David Alaba Links Up With Afrobeats Star, Wizkid At Rolling Loud

According to Gettleman’s ruling, Ponle was to submit himself to the US Marshal Service for onward transfer to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, where his family members, especially his American fiancée, would be allowed to visit him.

He will also be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration”, the judge said.

Advertisement

The Nigerian-born fraudster will pay seven victims about $8 million in restitution, with the court finding that he has the capacity to make the full payment but waived all interests on the restitution value.

American prosecutors had on June 29 asked the judge to jail Woodberry for 14 years for the fraud he committed between January and September 2019.

The prosecutors also sought court permission to sell the fraudster’s 152 bitcoins, but only after a 30 days’ notice had been issued to the public for anyone with interest in the assets to file claims. No one with legitimate interest appeared to have surfaced as of the time of Woodberry’s sentencing.

READ ALSO: Govts, Organisations Urged To Include Persons With Albinism In Intervention Programmes

Advertisement

The prosecutors also recommended that Woodberry, known for displaying his flamboyant lifestyle on social media, forfeit items in the Dubai police custody, such as one Rolls Royce, Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG G55, four Rolex watches, one Patek Philippe watch, and three Audemars Piguet watches.

Also, he is to forfeit three gold and diamond-studded rings, five gold bracelets and two gold bracelet keys, six gold neck chains, one gold and diamond-studded necklace, one small gold nugget, two bank cards, about $1,835 in Emirati dirhams, and approximately $15.45 in South African rands.

Woodberry was apprehended on June 10, 2020, alongside Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas, who was jailed late last year for 11 years in the US for internet fraud.

 

Advertisement

Headline

Mother Throws Disabled 6-year-old Son Into Crocodile Infested River [PHOTOS]

Published

on

By

A mother has thrown her disabled six-year-old son into a crocodile-infested river where he has reportedly been mauled to death by reptiles.

Savitri Kumar, 26, from Uttara Kannada, a district in Karnataka, India, had a heated argument with the boy’s father, Ravi Kumar, 27, who repeatedly ordered her to “throw the child away,” the Times of India reports.

Police say her husband allegedly questioned her decision to give birth to a child with a disability.

Advertisement

When the parents fought about their son again on Saturday evening, May 4, Savitri was “distressed” and reportedly threw her son into a waste canal that flows into the Kali river, which is infested with crocodiles.

Father of the son

READ ALSO: Benue To Build Brewery As Residents Spend N850m On Beer Monthly

Neighbours who witnessed this called the police, who deployed divers to search for the boy in the water, but to no avail, as it was dark.

They returned on Sunday morning, May 5, and found the child’s body, which showed bite marks all over.

The boy suffered severe injuries and was missing a hand, which a police officer suggested indicated that the boy was mauled to death by one or more crocodiles.

Advertisement

A post mortem has been ordered to determine the six-year-old’s cause of death.

READ ALSO: JUST-IN: Terrorists Kill Two, Abduct 18 In Fresh Kaduna Attack

The couple also has another son aged two and is said to frequently fight about their older son’s speech impediment.

Officers have launched an investigation into the incident.

Advertisement

A police officer told local media that it was a “murder” case and that both the husband and wife have been arrested.

Continue Reading

Headline

‘Shame On You’- Ugandan Senator Knocked For Showing Off Wooden Bridge He Constructed

Published

on

By

A Ugandan Senator took to X to proudly show off the bridge he repaired for his constituents.

“People in Ndorwa East can now use the Rubira bridge which I recently repaired,” Hon. Protazio Begumisa, the MP Ndorwa East wrote on X as he proudly posed on a wooden bridge.

Read reactions below:

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Headline

[ICYMI]Living-in-China: Meet Half-Nigerian, Half-Chinese Youth Who Speaks Igbo, English, Chinese Fluently [VIDEO]

Published

on

By

L-R: Emmanuel Chibike, and Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy

A half-Nigerian and half-Chinese man, Emmanuel Chibike, has left social media users in awe with his ability to speak Igbo, English, and Chinese fluently.

The discovery was made by content creator and social media influencer known as Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy during his visit to an estate in China.

“If you look around, you’ll see that I’m in an estate in China. I met our brother, and as I was looking at him, I was wondering if he was Chinese,” Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy said in a video interview posted on Monday.

Advertisement

READ ALSO: Old Clip Of Wizkid’s Father’s Claim On Helping Alaba Get Electricity In 1972 Sparks Outrage

I noticed that as I was speaking (in Igbo language), he was laughing, and I was wondering if he could understand what I was speaking,” he added.

It was then that the comedian learned of Chibike’s unique background.

“After discussions with him, he explained who he was to me. Apparently, his father, who is from Ozubulu (a town in Anambra State), came to China and married a Chinese woman,” he explained.

Advertisement

Chibike’s ability to effortlessly switch between the three languages left a lasting impression on the influencer. “This boy here, he can speak English, Chinese, and Igbo languages,” he marvelled.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Aircraft Fault Forces Shettima To Abandon US Trip

In the video, Chibike showcased his multilingual skills by introducing himself in English, Chinese, and then Igbo.

His fluency in all three languages show his knowledge of his cultural heritage.

Advertisement

Real Mc Ezegetive Comedy seized the opportunity to encourage Igbo parents to teach their children their native language.

“It is quite shameful that some Igbo children based in Igbo land can’t speak their native language,” he lamented, emphasising the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural identities.

Watch the video below courtesy The PUNCH:

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version