The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully convicted Eze Harrison Arinze on Thursday, December 7, 2023. Arinze, found guilty of defrauding 34 victims across 13 countries of $592,000, received a three-year prison sentence from Justice J.K Omotosho at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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Arinze, previously re-arraigned on a charge of impersonation and obtaining under false pretense, operated under the alias Charlotte Brain on Telegram. Between April 2021 and December 2022, he fraudulently impersonated Charlotte Brain, obtaining cryptocurrency totaling $592,000 from Coinbase exchange users through his bitcoin address.
Having pleaded guilty, Arinze was convicted and sentenced by Justice Omotosho, who gave him the option of a N3,000,000.00 fine in addition to the three-year imprisonment. The judge ordered the restitution of 11.07 Bitcoins, valued at $461,280.70 as of December 4, 2023, to the 34 victims from 13 countries.
Moreover, the court directed the forfeiture of N37,977,108 from Arinze’s bank accounts to the Federal Government. This includes a plot of land situated at Plot No. 34 Anioma Layout, Umuchigbo Iji-nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
