Nigerian teenager convicted for defrauding American man of $800

The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced an 18-year-old man, Hassan Usman Olamilekan, for money laundering involving $800 obtained through a lottery scam. Justice Dipeolu delivered the judgment on October 30, 2026, following Olamilekan’s arraignment by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Olamilekan was arraigned on a one-count charge of money laundering, contrary to Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge, after which an EFCC operative, Ebuka Abanga, reviewed the facts of the case before the court found him guilty.

Justice Dipeolu sentenced him to a fine of N200,000 and ordered him to pay N1 million in restitution to the Federal Government. The court further ordered that he remains in the correctional centre pending payment of the fine and restitution. It also ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71 mobile phone recovered in connection with the offence.

According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that Olamilekan, who claimed to be from the Republic of Benin but was born in Nigeria, operated several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Zangi and iMessage, which he allegedly used for internet fraud. The commission said he met his victim, an American citizen identified as Gary Brewer, through the Zangi application, where he impersonated a white American woman named Julie Leach.

Olamilekan reportedly told Brewer that he had won a $250 million lottery prize but needed money to activate the winnings before he could claim the funds. He subsequently persuaded the victim to send him gift cards through the messaging platform. The EFCC said the defendant admitted selling the gift cards through the Cardsonic application, converting the proceeds into naira and transferring the money to his grandmother’s OPay account.

He also confessed to benefiting $800 from the fraudulent scheme. Olamilekan was among 21 suspected internet fraudsters arrested by EFCC operatives during a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, Lagos State, on October 26, 2026.