Court jails Lagos teenager Hassan Olamilekan for money laundering
The Federal High Court, Ikoyi Division, has convicted and sentenced internet fraudster Hassan Olamilekan for laundering $800 from a gift card scam.
In a statement on Monday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said Mr Olamilekan, 18, was sentenced on Friday after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge filed by the agency.
The EFCC said the defendant was charged with money laundering under Section 18(2)(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
According to the anti-graft agency, Mr Olamilekan fraudulently obtained $800 in gift cards, which he sold through the Cardsonic application and converted into naira.
The court sentenced him to a fine of N200,000 and ordered him to pay N1 million to the federal government as restitution. He is to remain in the correctional centre until he pays the fine and restitution.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 11 Pro and a Poco C71 mobile phone recovered in connection with the offence.
The EFCC said investigations revealed that Mr 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.
The anti-graft agency said he met his victim, Gary Brewer, a U.S. citizen, through the Zangi application, where he allegedly impersonated an American woman identified as Julie Leach.
He told the victim that he had won a $250 million lottery prize but needed money to activate the winnings before he could claim them.
The suspect subsequently persuaded the victim to send him gift cards through the messaging application.
The EFCC said Mr Olamilekan admitted selling the gift cards through Cardsonic, converting the proceeds into naira and transferring the money to his grandmother’s OPay account.
He also confessed to benefiting from the fraudulent scheme by $800.
Mr Olamilekan was among 21 suspected internet fraudsters EFCC operatives arrested during a sting operation at Applewood Estate, Orchid Road, Lekki, on October 26, 2026.
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