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Elderly woman robbed over $6M by Nigerian fraudster
Kaieteur News – Uche Raymond Okoye, also known as ‘Uche Parker,’ of Lot 9 Delph Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, who was charged for fleecing over $6 million from a female pensioner, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the offence last Friday.
Jailed, Uche Raymond Okoye, also known as ‘Uche Parker’
On November 3, Magistrate Annette Singh in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts found the Nigerian national guilty on 10 counts of obtaining money under false pretense. He was then remanded to prison pending his sentencing.
Last Friday, at the sentencing hearing, the defendant was sentenced to one year imprisonment on each of the 10 charges. During a plea in mitigation Uche agreed to repay the victim some of the money he defrauded her.
There are other matters still being prosecuted against the defendant by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). On February 25, 2021, Okoye made his first court appearance for the matter and he was slapped with the charges.
He was not required to plead to the 10 indictable charges read to him. The charges alleged that between October 15, 2020 and November 16, 2020, at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, he obtained $6,060,000 from Suruj Dei Balkaran by falsely claiming that he was in possession of a package for Suruj Dei Balkaran.
Okoye preyed on the elderly woman via WhatsApp and Facebook by falsely claiming that he had a package intended for her. He lied to the woman that the package included money and other valuables, which led to her transferring monies from her bank account to other accounts ten times, under the directions of Okoye, since she believed that he, indeed, was in possession of such a package for her.
During the trial before Magistrate Singh, the elderly woman testified that, during the period of October to November 2020, she transferred her life savings totaling $6,060,000 to the accounts of several persons unknown to her on Okoye’s instructions.
She testified that she has been a vendor all her life, and that she believed that the person she met on Facebook did send a package with money for her. Other persons also testified that monies were sent to their accounts, and that they received a percentage after withdrawing the said deposits.
According to the police, Okoye is suspected to be part of a criminal network involving Nigerian nationals, who collaborate with associates to solicit cash from their victims by promising high valued merchandise to be delivered following the payment of a charge or fee.
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