Hushpuppi’s accomplice Olalekan Jacob Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, has pleaded guilty with the U.S. authorities, agreeing to surrender $8 million in proceeds of internet fraud as well as luxury cars and watches to the foreign government.
Recall that Woodberry who was arrested in Dubai on June 10, 2020, alongside Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas ,earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges in which he was accused of engaging in a fraudulent scheme known as Business Email Compromise (BEC).
Meanwhile Hushpuppi is currently serving an 11-year jail term in the US for fraud.
Hushpuppi, Woodberry and 10 others were arrested in an operation tagged ‘Fox Hunt’ after they were accused of “committing crimes outside the UAE, including money-laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonating, scamming individuals, banking fraud and identity theft.
Director of Dubai CID, Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, said the raid that led to the arrest resulted in the confiscation of incriminating documents of a planned fraud on a global scale worth $435 million.
But a plea declaration submitted at the United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division on April 6, 2023 shows that Woodberry made a U-turn and pleaded guilty to count one of the charges.
According to his plea agreement, he was required to repay the $8 million he fraudulently received from the seven companies that fell for his scam.
Peoples Gazette reports that the document containing Mr Woodberry’s signed plea declaration states, “Defendant understands that by pleading guilty, he will subject to forfeiture to the United States all right, title, and interest that he has in any property constituting or derived from proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of the offence.”
The court also asked him to waive his rights to the luxury cars and designer watches he had stashed in Dubai to the government authorities.
The items seized from Woodberry include high-end automobiles Rolls Royce Cullinan with vehicle no J9153, Lamborghini Urus (N4973); Mercedes-Benz G-class (G68816); four Rolex watches; one Patek Philippe watch; three Audemars Piguet watches; three gold and diamond-studded earrings and six gold neck chains.
In 2022, Mr. Woodberry forfeited 151.8 Bitcoin which was worth roughly $6 million, to the US government, while the US authorities have determined to recover all stolen monies from the Nigerian fraudster.
Mr. Woodberry’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2023.
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