Lagos court sentences American businessman to 74 years in prison over $1.6m fraud

An Ikeja special offences court has sentenced Marco Ramirez, an American businessman, to 74 years in prison for fraud.

Ramirez was convicted on Tuesday on charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC had initially arraigned the convict on a 12-count charge but later re-arraigned him on a 16-count charge on June 24, 2022, before Mojisola Dada, the presiding judge.

Ramirez pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The convict was prosecuted alongside his companies, USA NOW LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP, and USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, over the $1,235,000 EB-5 visa scam.

He was accused of obtaining the money from his victims as processing fees for their investments in his company, which would qualify them to be eligible for the issuance of a USA green card.

However, the American businessman allegedly reneged on his promise.

Ramirez was also arraigned on another nine-count charge concerning $368,698.24 fraud.

Delivering judgment on Tuesday, the judge held that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge sentenced him to various terms of imprisonment on the different counts of the charges.