Fake American Soldier Bags One-Year Jail Term In Abuja

Fake American Soldier Bags One-Year Jail Term In Abuja

Justice S.U. Bature of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court,
sitting in Maitama Abuja, has sentenced Osahon Scott, who posed as a
United States military officer to perpetrate online fraud, to one year
in prison.

Scott was arraigned on March 12, 2019, before Justice Umar Bature of a
Federal Capital High, FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, on an amended
one-count charge bordering on cheating, to which he pleaded “guilty”,
based on a plea bargain.

The count reads: “That you, Osahon Scott (aka Gen. Sgt. Major John
Rossi) sometime in 2018 in Abuja within the Abuja Judicial Division of
the Federal Capital Territory High Court, did attempt to commit cheating
by posing as United States Gen. Sgt. Major John Rossi an American
soldier deployed to Afghanistan on peace keeping mission and
fraudulently induced one Li Sufung to deliver the sum of 20,000 Yuan
(Twenty Thousand Yuan), that the money is payment for cost of non
inspection of certificate, a claim which you knew to be false and
thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320(a) of the Penal
Code Law Cap 532 Laws of the Federation (1990) Abuja and punishable
under Section 95 of the same Act.”

He was earlier convicted on March 12, 2019, with the trial judge
fixing March 19, 2019 for sentencing. In sentencing him, Justice Bature
took into cognizance, the plea bargain which was brought pursuant to
Section 270 (1)a, b (2)a (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice
Act, ACJA 2015.

Putting into consideration the fact that the defendant has been
consistent with his custody terms, his health status of being a peptic
ulcer patient, a surviving son of a single mother, an aging grandfather
and a young man with a bright future ahead who is remorseful of his
actions, the trial judge gave him an option of N50,000 as fine, in lieu
of the jail term