Jacob Olalekan Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, has been handed a significant prison sentence of eight years and three months by a federal judge in the United States. The sentence was a result of Ponle's involvement in orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme. The decision was made by Judge Robert Gettleman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, as per court documents obtained by Peoples Gazette.
Judge Gettleman ordered Ponle to serve a total term of 100 months in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. After imprisonment, Ponle will be transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, where he will be permitted visits from his family members and his American fiancée. Furthermore, the judge stated that Ponle will be handed over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for his deportation after the incarceration.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court also required Ponle to repay a total of nearly $8 million in restitution to seven victims. Although Ponle had the financial capacity to fulfill the full payment, the court waived all interest on the restitution value.
Prior to the sentencing, American prosecutors had requested a 14-year prison term for Ponle, along with permission to sell his 152 bitcoins. However, no legitimate claimants came forward when Ponle was sentenced. The prosecutors also proposed that Ponle forfeit various properties, including luxury vehicles like a Rolls-Royce, a Lamborghini Urus, and a Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG G55, as well as several high-end watches such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet.