Nigerian gets 6 years jail-time for romance scheme in Guyana
Jailed: Matthew Ejike Nwachukwu
Nigerian national, Matthew Ejike Nwachukwu was, on Thursday, found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on both counts by Magistrate Rushell Liverpool at the Wismar Magistrate’s Court.
The Nigerian national was investigated by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for facilitating several fraudulent romance schemes and package delivery scams that defrauded dozens of Guyanese of millions of dollars countrywide in 2022.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) stated that in September 2022, Ejike was charged and remanded on both charges. One of the complainants whose case was on trial recounted that she was befriended by a German man (mastermind) and that they later developed a long-distance relationship. She recalled that in July 2022, her German partner indicated that he would be sending packages for her with valuables via FedEx.
She reported that after three days, she received a call from a foreign number stating that the packages had arrived in Guyana and that she would be required to pay the sum of GD$155,000 to various persons at the McKenzie Post Office to uplift the package.
The victim related that she believed the packages to be genuine after she was informed that diamonds and other valuables were in the packages and that the sum of GD$155,000 was required to ensure that the packages were not confiscated on the basis of money laundering.
At the trial, SOCU led evidence to show that the defendant, Matthew Ejike Nwachukwu, was an accessory to the crime and that he arranged agents on behalf of the German mastermind to uplift monies from the virtual complainant at the McKenzie Post Office.
The matter was taken up by prosecutors Aaron Daniels and Neville Jeffers from the Special Organised Crime Unit, and Attorney-at-Law Lawrence Harris represented the defendant, Matthew Ejike Nwachukwu.
SOCU reports that efforts are being made to apprehend the German mastermind and other accomplices as investigations continue into the massive package delivery romance schemes.
