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.
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, we are 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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