Marco Antonio Ramirez, a businessman from America, is going to spend 68 years in prison. A court in Lagos decided this because he tricked people in Nigeria out of $1.6 million with a fake visa investment scheme.
This decision was made on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, by Judge Mojisola Dada at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, as shared by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Judge Dada said, “The evidence against Marco Antonio Ramirez is very strong. His actions hurt many people financially.”
She added, “He will spend 68 years in jail because of these serious crimes, and to show others that such actions have big consequences.”
Details of the Case
Ramirez faced 16 charges by the EFCC, which included lying to get money and stealing.
The EFCC said that Ramirez and his companies, USA NOW LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP, and USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, tricked people by promising them green cards through the United States EB-5 Investor Program. But this was all a lie.
EFCC lawyer, M.S. Owede, said, “Today’s decision shows that we fight for justice for those who lose money to scams. We’re happy that the court found Ramirez guilty.”
Victims
Ramirez took big amounts of money from people. For example, he took $545,000 from Godson Onyemaechi Echegile and $314,800 from Abubakar Umar Sadiq. He said he would invest their money, but he did not. Instead, he used it for himself. The victims didn’t get their promised visas or their money back.
Ramirez also tricked other people. He took $250,000 from Gabriel Ogie Edeoghon and $50,281.33 from Oludare Talabi in other visa scams.
Another lawyer, S.O. Daji, said, “The court’s decision today shows that we are serious about stopping fraud and making sure people who cheat others get punished.”
Ramirez’s court case took many years because his lawyer, Lawal Pedro, SAN, missed many court dates. But on May 8, 2024, the court finished reviewing everything and was ready to make a decision.
What You Should Know
In other news, EFCC charged Ibrahim Nuhu Shuaibu with a fraud scheme of N100 million. Shuaibu pretended to be a Group Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and faces seven charges, including lying to get money and breaking trust.
In 2017, using a fake name Ishaku Abdulrazak, Shuaibu promised to deliver petroleum products and convinced Faisal Safiyanu to transfer over N47 million. But he never delivered the products. Shuaibu now faces trial in front of Justice Darius Khobo at the Kaduna State High Court.