Nigerian man sentenced to prison for disguising as American lady on Facebook to defraud US victim $700

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, secured the conviction of Lawal Samuel before Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

In a statement released on Saturday, the EFCC said Samuel was jailed after facing a one-count charge of cybercrime.

According to the commission, he created a fake Facebook profile under the name “Sandra Brooks,” claiming to be a woman from Virginia, USA. In this guise, he allegedly deceived Keith, a resident of Illinois, USA, into sending him $700 (Seven Hundred Dollars).

The charge reads: “That you, Lawal Oluwadamilare Samuel (a.k.a Sandra Brooks), sometime in 2022 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court and with intent to defraud over the internet, wherein you represented and held out yourself on Google as ‘Sandra Brooks, a white female from Virginia, USA, to one Keith with intent to gain advantage for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition etc.) Act, 2015.”
Samuel pleaded “guilty” to the charge.

Following the plea, prosecution counsel A.A. Usman called EFCC operative Muhammad Al-Mustapha Bello to review the case facts. Bello stated that Samuel was arrested on May 16, 2025, at his hideout in Command, Ipaja, Lagos State, during a raid prompted by intelligence reports.

“During the investigation, one Samsung Galaxy S9, one HP laptop, one Samsung tab and a Mercedes Benz C300 2008 car were recovered from him. He restituted the sum of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) via Zenith Bank,” Bello said.

According to the statement, the prosecution tendered Samuel’s extrajudicial statements, the recovered devices, and forensic investigation reports, which the court admitted as exhibits.

Defence counsel Kehinde Sanni-Mutoshi urged the court to “temper justice with mercy,” saying, “he is a first-time offender, and he is very remorseful.”

Justice Dipeolu sentenced Samuel to six months in prison with an option of a N3,000,000.00  fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the Samsung Galaxy S9, HP laptop, Samsung tab, Mercedes Benz C300 (2008 model), and N500,000 to the Federal Government.