An American businessman, Marco Antonio Ramirez, has been sentenced to 74 years in prison by Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja for his involvement in a $1.2 million U.S. visa scam.
Ramirez was convicted on a 16-count charge of defrauding investors of $1.2 million in a visa scam, as well as $368,698.24 in a separate fraud case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The EFCC charged that Ramirez and his companies—USA NOW LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP, and USA Now Capital Group LP—defrauded three Nigerians between February and August 2013 by obtaining money under false pretenses, promising them U.S. Green Cards through the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) Investor Programme.
Despite pleading not guilty, Justice Dada found Ramirez guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to 10 years each on counts 1 to 12, related to obtaining money by false pretenses, and another 10 years each on counts 13 to 16, related to stealing. Additionally, he received an eight-year sentence for six counts and a ten-year sentence for two counts related to a separate $368,698.24 fraud case.
Ramirez was also found guilty of defrauding another victim, Gabriel Ogie Edeoghon, of $250,000 on July 26, 2013, falsely claiming it was for an investment that would qualify Edeoghon for a U.S. Green Card.
Justice Dada emphasized the need to protect citizens from fraudulent schemes and deter others from engaging in similar scams.
