A Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja yesterday convicted and sentenced an American businessman, Marco Antonio Ramirez, to 74 years imprisonment for a $1.2 million visa scam and a $368,698.24 fraud.
Justice Mojisola Dada, who found Ramirez guilty as charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the two separate consolidated charges, held that the prosecution proved its case against him beyond reasonable doubt.
The EFCC had charged Ramirez, along with his companies, USA Now LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP and USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, for an alleged $1,235,000 EB-5 visa scam.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendant obtained the money from his victims as processing fees for their investments in his company, USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, in the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) United States of America Investor Programme, which would qualify them to be eligible for the issuance of a USA Green Card.
The defendant allegedly reneged on his promise.
He allegedly committed the offences on February 5, 2013, and April 18, 2013, in Lagos, dishonourably converting the aggregate sum of $545,000, property of Godson Onyemaechi Echegile, to his personal use.
He was initially arraigned on a 12-count charge bordering on fraud and pleaded not guilty.
Later, the EFCC amended the charge and Ramirez was re-arraigned on a 16-count charge on June 24, 2022.
The prosecution counsel, M.S. Owede, tendered several documentary pieces of evidence and called witnesses to prove the allegations against him. He was cross-examined by the defendant’s counsel, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN).
The case suffered several adjournments at the adoption stage of final written addresses before counsel in the suit eventually adopted their final addresses on May 8, 2024, and the judge adjourned.
While delivering judgment yesterday, Justice Dada found him guilty as charged and sentenced him accordingly.
