Three Nigerians sentenced to 235 years in prison for online scamming

A court in Mississippi has sentenced three Nigerian men to 235 years in prison for running online scams that duped people out of tens of millions of dollars. Oladimeji Seun Ayelotan, 30, was sentenced to 95 years in prison today, with associates Rasaq Aderoju Raheem, 31, getting 115 years and Femi Alexander Mewase, 45, getting …

[J.Smith]

Talent pool

HSBC et al are missing a trick, there's obviously an untapped pool of talent they could be using. These guys have the nous and morals.

[TheVogon]

Re: Talent pool

"getting 115 years"

Seems a tad excessive for fraud. No to mention pointless unless we invent immortality at some point soon.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Talent pool

Those are 115 Nigerian years, so they'll be out soon!

[TheVogon]

Re: Talent pool

"Those are 115 Nigerian years, so they'll be out soon!"

Surely they are 115 American years?

[wayward4now]

Re: Talent pool

Try life plus 3 days. If you were convicted of three murders, the state couldn't let your body go for 9 days. that puts a new spin on the term "put on ice".

[Anonymous Coward]

I expect they're emailing out their pleas for bail money to thousands of yahoo addresses even now.

[Ole Juul]

Reply-To:

[e-mail]

[Doctor Syntax]

"The international police force said the reason the area is such a hive of online criminality is because of low employment prospects in the region for computer specialists."

It's possible that cause and effect might be t'other way about.

[JLV]

>low employment prospects in the region for computer specialists

sending e-mails, receiving e-mails, deleting e-mails. Using a mouse, mices, using mice. Clicking, double clicking. The computer screen, of course. Uploading pictures of hotties from somewhere. Finding gullible idjits.

Huuuuge skills, I tell you.

That said, 95 years seems a bit on the nuclear option end of things, doesn't it?

[Andrew Jones 2]

Re: >low employment prospects in the region for computer specialists

...damn you.... now I have to go and watch that episode!

[Andrew Jones 2]

Well I mean if we are dealing in nonsense and highly impractical sentences - then they might as well each of been fined 90 quadrilion trillion billion potatoes or something....

[Michael H.F. Wilkinson]

I was sort of expecting a total sentence of 419 years

[Anonymous Coward]

@Michael H.F. Wilkinson ...... well they were part of a 21 man gang. If the rest are treated more leniently and get 10 or 11 years each then a total of 419 is eminently possible, indeed certain if I were the judge.

[Anonymous Coward]

Some say it's a scam

Others say it's a tax on the stupid

Happy with the sentences though.

[TheVogon]

Re: Some say it's a scam

"Others say it's a tax on the stupid"

I thought that was what the National Lottery was for!

[td97402]

Not just the Nigerian's Anymore

Got an email just this morning from a barrister out of London. He was trying to convince me that his client, now deceased, has left a whole pile of money in the bank and there's no known next of kin. But my name is pretty close, so we should just go ahead and clash m it for me to keep the bankers from taking the money for themselves. Of course there will be some fees to get all the proper papers and documentation done...

[katrinab]

Re: Not just the Nigerian's Anymore

Unlikely the barrister is actually in London. For starters, barristers don't do that sort of work, it is done by solicitors.

[VinceH]

Re: Not just the Nigerian's Anymore

Wait - are you saying it's not legit?

[katrinab]

Re: Not just the Nigerian's Anymore

Obviously it isn't legit, but also, it clearly comes from someone who doesn't know how things work in England.

[allthecoolshortnamesweretaken]

Re: Not just the Nigerian's Anymore

"... it clearly comes from someone who doesn't know how things work in England."

Some low level clerk at Whitehall?

[Long John Brass]

HELO DEEREST FRIED

MY UNCLE OLADIMEJI SEUN WAS SENTENCED TO 95 YEAR IN PRIISON TODAY ALONG WITH MY COUSIN RASAQ ADEROJU RAHEEM FOR 115 YEAR

THEY HAVE LEFT ME WITH **ONE HUNDREDS AND FIFTY MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS** THAT I NEED TO GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY

ALL I NEED FROM YOU MY DEEREST FRIEND IS.....

[caffeine addict]

Re: HELO DEEREST FRIED

Damn you - I came here to make the same joke. Have my +1 you early waking git.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: HELO DEEREST FRIED

You, me, and about a thousand other commentards, I suspect. Kudos to OP for not only getting in early, but also doing it with such thoroughness (rather than the throwaway one line I would have posted).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: HELO DEEREST FRIED

Well, actually, that may be far closer to truth than their usual scams... if investigators didn't catch the whole ring and recovered the money, there will be accomplices trying to hide their tracks and the money....

[John Smith 19]

This used to be played by Mexicans on Americans.

and vice-versa to a certain extent.

Came across the "damsel in distress" scam in a book on con games written in the 50's

Human gullibility seems to be a commodity that remains in abundant supply.

And before anyone gets to feeling too morally indignant with Brexit coming and the possibility the UK Finance industry could head en-mass to Frankfurt or Paris perhaps UK readers might like to consider some alternative ways to raise a bit of extra money?

[PeterM42]

I like the US style......

SERIOUS sentences, not the "smack on the wrist" that would be meted out in the UK.

[allthecoolshortnamesweretaken]

Re: I like the US style......

And for how long will they actually stay behind bars?

[patrickstar]

Re: I like the US style......

The rest of their lives.

Their mistake was not getting a plea bargain. Then they would be out in 10 or 20 years perhaps.

[wayward4now]

Re: I like the US style......

"And for how long will they actually stay behind bars?"

Here in the states you do 85% of your active sentence behind bars and 15% on probation. Thank you Bill and Hillary Clinton, who wanted children to be treated the same way, including life sentences with no chance for parole.

[DeadPool]

Capital punishment is more appropriate

The Americans might better deter Nigerians if they used Chinese-style punishment for fraud - i.e. death penalty