Fraud: US court sentences Hushpuppi’s ally, Woodberry to eight years in prison

By Emmanuel Adeleke

A United States District Court in Northern Illinois, Chicago, has sentenced Olalekan Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, to eight years and three months in prison for multimillion dollar fraud.

Woodberry is an ally of Ramon Abbas, populalry known as Hushpuppi, another Nigerian who was jailed for internet fraud in the United State in November 2022.

Hushpuppi and Woodberry were arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on June 10, 2020, for extensive international online fraud.

They were then transported to the US for separate trials.

Although Hushpuppi initially denied all charges, he later changed his plea and was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment.

Similarly, Woodberry, accused of defrauding a US company of about $188,000, maintained his innocence for over two years.

However, he reversed course and entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud at a change of plea hearing in April, at the US District Court for Northern Illinois.

At the sentencing on Tuesday, the judge, Robert Gettleman, ordered Woodberry’s imprisonment for 100 months.

“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,” Gettleman said.

He also ordered Woodberry’s immediate surrender to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation once his prison term concludes.

He is also expected to make restitution payments totaling around $8 million (about N6 billion) to seven of his victims.