Court sentences singer and Flavour impersonator for scamming a US lady.
Courage Ipaka, who impersonates artist Flavour, has been convicted to two years in prison by a federal high court in Lagos.
Ipaka allegedly exploited Flavour's name to defraud Yvelte M. Thompson, a woman living in the United States, of $53,000.
Azibagiri Dan Ekpar, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's (EFCC) investigator, headed the investigation against Ipaka on Tuesday.
Ekpar said that the defendant offered to plan events in America and accepted cash from the victim via his Bitcoin wallets.
Following a petition submitted by Eyitayo Tolulope Abiodun and others on behalf of the victim, "We invited Flavour, who claimed innocence in the claims.
"After conducting an inquiry, we determined that the perpetrator was one Ipaka Courage, who lives in Benin City. In his confession, the defendant admitted to impersonating Flavour and receiving $53,000 from a woman who is a US citizen in 2021.
"He wired the funds from Bitcoin wallets to his Access Bank account, where he received the sum in Naira.
"The sum of N7.9 million was recovered from the defendant through Zenith and Access Bank manager's cheques."
The presiding judge, Dehinde Dipeolu, sentenced Ipaka to two years in prison with the possibility of a N2 million fine.
He also forfeited N7.9 million to Thompson.