A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced Courage Ipaka, who impersonated singer Flavour, to two years in prison.
Ipaka was found guilty of using Flavour’s identity to defraud Yvelte M. Thompson, a woman based in the United States, of $53,000.
The investigation against Ipaka was led by Azibagiri Dan Ekpar, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday.
Ekpar stated that the defendant had promised to organize shows in the United States and received payments from the victim through his Bitcoin wallets.
After receiving a petition from Eyitayo Tolulope Abiodun and others on behalf of the victim, the EFCC invited Flavour, who denied any involvement in the allegations.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Ipaka Courage, residing in Benin City, was the culprit. The defendant confessed in his statement that he had impersonated Flavour and obtained $53,000 from a U.S. citizen in 2021.
He transferred the funds through Bitcoin wallets and then converted them into Naira, depositing the amount into his Access Bank account.
A total of N7.9 million was recovered from the defendant through manager’s cheques from Zenith and Access Bank.
In his ruling, the presiding judge, Dehinde Dipeolu, sentenced Ipaka to two years in prison, with an option to pay a fine of N2 million.
Additionally, he was required to forfeit the sum of N7.9 million to Thompson.
