Olalekan Ponle, a Nigerian held in the United States for alleged
multi-million-dollar fraud, has been indicted by the grand jury, a group
of lawyers empowered to conduct legal proceedings and investigate
potential criminal conduct.
Mr Ponle, popularly known as
Woodberry, alongside Ramoni Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, was arrested
in the United Arab Emirate on June 10 for multiple fraud charges after a
raid by operatives of the Dubai crime unit.
According to the complaint, an unnamed Chicago company was defrauded into sending wire transfers totalling $15.2 million.
Companies based in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New York and California also were victims of the fraud, prosecutors say.
PREMIUM
TIMES reported how the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) nabbed Mr
Ponle through details accessed from his WhatsApp, iPhone and Bitcoin
transactions. He was extradited to the United States on July 2.
The
29-year-old is currently facing charges bordering on wire fraud
Conspiracy at a United States District Court sitting in Illinois.
His
first appearance in court was on July 3, after which the preliminary
hearing was set for July 16 before Judge Jeffrey T Gilbert.
Although
Mr Ponle appeared in court for his detention and preliminary hearing on
Thursday, PREMIUM TIMES is yet to access the outcome of the proceedings
as of the time of filing this report.
Grand Jury’s report
As
obtained by this paper, a report of the special grand jury constituted
in 2019, which was submitted to the court on Wednesday, indicted Mr
Ponle.
In the American judicial system, the grand jury listens to
the prosecutor and witnesses, and then votes in secret on whether they
believe that enough evidence exists to charge the person with a crime.
When
a person is indicted, he is given a formal notice that it is believed
that he committed a crime. The indictment contains the basic information
that informs the person of the charges against him.
The jury
summed up the allegations against Mr Ponle to an eight-count charge of
wire fraud, which violates section 1343 of the United States Codes.
“Whoever,
having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to
defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or
fraudulent pretences, representations, or promises, transmits or causes
to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication
in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals,
pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or
artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20
years, or both.”
More so, the jury, in its conclusion, stated
that, upon conviction, Mr Ponle shall forfeit to the United States of
America any property which institutes and is derived from proceeds
traceable to the offense provided in Title 18. United States Code,
Section 981 (IXC) and Title 28, United States Code, Section 24611).
“If
any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission
by a defendant: cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence;
has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; has
been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the Court; has been substantially
diminished in value; or has been commingled with other property which
cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States of America shall
be entitled to forfeiture of substitute property, as provided in Title
21, United States Code, Section 853 (p), ” the report further read.
Previous reports had indicated that Mr Ponle will be in the custody of the U.S. Marshal until further order by the Court.
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