Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has sentenced a man pretending to be a senator, Tom Makwe, to two years in prison for scamming a Spanish person out of 47,082 euros.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Makwe with two counts of internet fraud. He admitted his guilt and asked the court for leniency.

Judge Aliyu Shafa delivered the sentence, offering Makwe the option to pay a 5 million naira fine instead. The judge ordered that the 30 million naira and 1,300 dollars recovered from Makwe be returned to the victim, Maria Del Rosario san Jose Garces, through the Spanish embassy in Nigeria. The court required proof of the forfeiture to be filed within two weeks.

The judge also decreed that items recovered from Makwe, including a 2017 black Camry, a Samsung S23, an Apple iPhone 13, and an HP EliteBook, be given to the government. The proceeds from these items’ sale will be sent to the victim via the Spanish embassy.

Earlier, Makwe apologized to the court, expressing remorse for his actions and promising to avoid internet fraud in the future.

He pleaded.

“I am a changed person and plead with the court to tamper justice with mercy. I will never have anything to do with internet fraud again,”

The prosecution, led by Deborah Adamu-Eteh, stated that Makwe posed as Fahad Tonny Makwe, Bryan, and Senator Tompolo to deceive his victim between December 2021 and November 2022. He used a foreign phone number and pretended to be a white diplomat to trick Maria Del Rosario san Jose Garces into sending him 47,082 euros through a Bitcoin wallet.

The crime violated Section 321 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 324. The prosecution confirmed that Makwe had returned the 30 million naira, 1,300 dollars, the car, and electronic devices.

The prosecutor requested that the recovered money and items be forfeited to the Federal Government via the EFCC.