Follow Us on Google
By John Ogunsemore
The Nigerian duo of Elike Francis Ogbuefi and Steven Silvester has been sentenced to a combined prison term of 16 years for €6 million fraud in Ireland.
Raidió Teilifís Éireann reported Friday that Ogbuefi, 42, of Clonard Road in Crumlin, Dublin, bagged a nine-year jail term, while Silvester, 32, from The Paddocks, Morristown in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
The report said Ogbuefi got into Ireland as a student while Silvester was initially in direct provision before he began moving addresses.
They were identified as directors of a criminal gang who were arrested and charged following a long-running investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau.
Although they pleaded not guilty to the charges, a jury convicted them following a trial in February.
According to RTE, prosecutors told the court how the duo orchestrated “a worldwide, highly sophisticated money laundering scheme on a breathtaking scale”.
The court heard how more than €6 million was stolen and laundered in a variety of scams, including romance frauds and smishing schemes and moved through a variety of accounts.
The duo was said to be in charge of supplying and monitoring accounts where the stolen money was deposited.
The report stated that evidence presented in court showed that they received requests from across the world—many linked to Nigerian phone numbers—seeking accounts for fraudulent transactions.
The report added that data recovered from Ogbuefi’s phone detailed job specifications, transaction volumes, and account requirements.
He was said to have also been found to have instructed that accounts be opened under Irish names to avoid suspicion.
Prosecutors said Ogbuefi acted as a key contact for collaborators outside Ireland, the report stated.
Prosecutors disclosed that a nine-minute instruction video on how to engage in this activity was also found on his phone.
They further said photos on Ogbuefi’s phone showed him overseeing money going in and out of the accounts and controlling or supervising the activity of the organised crime group.
He reportedly got 20 percent of proceeds.
Silvester was said to be at a slightly lower level to Ogbuefi in the operation.
Judge Martin Nolan sentenced the convicts.
