Woodberry: Hushpuppi’s Partner In Crime Jailed 8 Years In US, Set To Be Deported1 min read
Mr Woodberry, a popular Nigerian socialite arrested for scamming Americans has been jailed in the U.S.
A federal judge in the United States, Chicago, has sentenced Mr Woodberry, real name Jacob Olalekan Ponle, to eight years and three months in prison for his coordination of a multimillion-dollar fraud.
Woodberry was sentenced on July 11 by Judge Robert Gettleman of the United States 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,” The People’s Gazette quoted Mr Gettleman to have said.
The report adds that Mr Ponle was sentenced after being convicted on one count of fraud as seven other counts were dismissed following a plea bargain in April.
The Judge ordered Mr Ponle to submit himself to the U.S. 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.
Woodberry will also be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration”, the judge said.
According to the website, 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.
