Fake ‘American Woman’ Jailed Six Months for Internet Fraud in Lagos
A Lagos Federal High Court has sentenced one Lawal Oluwadamilare Samuel to six months imprisonment for posing online as a white woman from Virginia, USA, to defraud an American victim of $700.
Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Ikoyi Division handed down the judgment on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, following Samuel’s guilty plea to a one-count charge of cybercrime filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the EFCC, Samuel, who operated under the alias “Sandra Brooks,” created a fake Facebook profile in 2022 and tricked a man identified as Keith, based in Illinois, into sending him the funds. He was arrested on May 16, 2025, in the Command, Ipaja area of Lagos, after intelligence-led operations.
Items recovered from him included a Samsung Galaxy S9, an HP laptop, a Samsung tablet, and a Mercedes Benz C300 (2008 model). He also restituted ₦500,000 to the Commission.
Prosecution counsel A.A. Usman tendered the defendant’s statements, recovered devices, and forensic evidence, all admitted as exhibits.
Pleading for leniency, defence counsel Kehinde Sanni-Mutoshi described Samuel as a first-time offender who was remorseful.
Justice Dipeolu sentenced him to six months in prison or a fine of ₦3 million and ordered the forfeiture of all recovered items and the restituted amount to the Federal Government.
