Olalekan Ponle, alias Woodberry, has been sentenced to a prison term of eight years and three months by a United States district court for engaging in multimillion-dollar fraud.
Woodberry, known for his association with Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, another Nigerian convicted for internet fraud in November 2022, received the verdict.
Hushpuppi and Woodberry were apprehended in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on June 10, 2020, for their involvement in extensive international online fraud.
Later, they were extradited to the United States for separate trials.
Initially denying all charges, Hushpuppi eventually altered his plea and received an 11-year imprisonment sentence.
Likewise, Woodberry, accused of defrauding a US company of approximately $188,000, maintained his innocence for more than two years before reversing his stance.
In April, during a change of plea hearing held at the US District Court for Northern Illinois, he pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
On April 6, Judge Robert Gettleman accepted Woodberry’s change of plea.
Consequently, the defendant was convicted on a single count out of the eight initially brought against him after reaching a plea agreement.
In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, Gettleman sentenced Woodberry to 100 months in prison. As stated by Gettleman, “The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 100 months.”
To serve his sentence, Woodberry has been directed to present himself to the U.S. Marshal Service for transfer to the federal correctional institution located in Danbury, Connecticut. During his incarceration, he would be permitted visits from his family members, particularly his American fiancée.
Furthermore, Gettleman ruled that Woodberry would be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration.”
As part of the judgment, Woodberry has been ordered to pay restitution totaling around $8 million to seven identified victims.