A Nigerian man, Collins Samuel has been remanded in the custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for fraudulently obtaining $8,000 (N3m) COVID-19 benefit from Virginia in the United States.
The suspect who was arraigned before Justice P. Mallong of Federal High Court in Kaduna, pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the one count charge that borders on impersonation and obtaining by false pretences, brought against him by Kaduna Zonal Office of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Samuel was reportedly arrested in Jos, Plateau State where he fraudulently represented himself as Ashley Cooper, an American citizen affected by COVID–19.
It was alleged that he obtained $8,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) from Virginia and reportedly redeemed the benefit through bitcoin wallet addresses he got from various cryptocurrency traders.
The anti-graft agency made this known in a statement through its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren.
The charge reads;
That you Collins Samuel sometime in February, 2021 in Jos, Plateau State, within jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did commit an offence to wit; impersonation when you fraudulently held yourself as one Ashley Cooper, a citizen of the United States of America and through that identity you applied and received a total sum of $8,000 from the State of Virginia as ” Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ) with the intent to gain advantage for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) (1) & (ii) of the Cyber Crime ( Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015.
