Rumours of the United States authorities freeing Olalekan Jacob Ponle, also known as Mr. Woodbery or Mark Kain, who was imprisoned for fraud in 2023, have been circulating on social media since Wednesday.
Ponle’s alias has remained among the top trending words on X.
Mini-influencers and some private accounts have made claims about Ponle’s presence on the internet, pointing at a social media activity to corroborate claims that he isn’t in prison anymore.
FIJ checked with the US Department of Justice and the US prison database to verify the claims of Ponle’s release.
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CLAIM: Olalekan Jacob Ponle, Woodberry, has been released from incarceration in the US.
“Dem don free Woodberry, na Hushpuppi remain,” @Dhavidote shared in a late Wednesday X post.
“He posted and deleted on snap chat,” he said in another post.
@Dhavidote’s post has raked in over 300,000 views and 6,000 likes.
More posts on Woodberry’s release have followed on X.
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VERIFICATION: The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) in the Northern District of Illinois stated that Woodberry was “sentenced to more than eight years in a U.S. prison” in July 2023 for orchestrating “an $8 million cyber fraud scheme targeting several United States-based companies”.
There is no update or new decision on Ponle’s conviction and imprisonment as of May 30, 2024.
FIJ sent a mail to the USAO in the Northern District of Illinois to confirm or deny Ponle’s release.
When FIJ checked the United States Federal Prison Inmate Locator, the database showed that Ponle was still in prison.
PHOTO CREDIT: USA.gov
Ponle, currently 33 years old, is held at FCI Fort Dix. His release date is October 17, 2027.
VERDICT: Claims that US authorities have released Woodberry from prison are false.
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