Adedayo Akinwunmi Agbayewa, a Nigerian residing in Georgia, United States of America, was sentenced to five years in prison for mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy on September 26.

According to a statement on the website of the US Department of Justice, Agbayewa, 45, was also ordered to pay $7,784,415 in restitution.

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Court documents revealed that Agbayewa and other members of his crime syndicate were involved in a lottery and telemarketing scheme that targeted elderly victims.

Agbayewa and his gang used false names to notify their victims via mail and telephone calls that they had won the stakes placed on a game or lottery. During these exchanges, the victims were told by members of the syndicate to pay taxes or fees before they could receive their winnings.

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After the mails and calls, the unsuspecting victims mailed cheques and deposited money into bank accounts as directed by the Nigerian and his team.

In the end, the elderly victims did not receive the promised prize.