US court sentences Hushpuppi’s associate Woodberry to eight years in jail

Woodberry, also known as Olalekan Ponle, has been sentenced to eight years and three months in prison by a United States district court for engaging in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme.

This comes after his arrest in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, alongside his associate, Hushpuppi, a notorious Nigerian fraudster, in June 2020.

Hushpuppi had already been sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for his involvement in internet fraud.

Initially maintaining his innocence, Woodberry recently changed his plea and admitted to one count of wire fraud during a hearing at the US District Court for Northern Illinois in April.

Judge Robert Gettleman accepted the plea and convicted Woodberry on the said count.

Following a pre-sentence investigation, the judge handed down the sentence on Tuesday, ordering Woodberry to serve a total of 100 months in prison.

“The defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be imprisoned for a total term of 100 months as to count,” Gettleman said.

He directed Woodberry to report to the U.S. Marshal Service for transfer to the federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut, where his American fiancée would be permitted to visit him.

The judge also said Woodberry would be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration”.

As part of the restitution process, Woodberry is expected to compensate seven of his victims with approximately $8 million.