On September 10, 2024, the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, sentenced American businessman Marco Antonio Ramirez to 68 years imprisonment. Ramirez, alongside his companies—USA NOW LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP, and USA Now Energy Capital Group LP—was convicted of defrauding victims through a $1.2 million EB-5 visa scam.
The court, presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada, also convicted Ramirez for a separate fraud involving $368,698.24.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted Ramirez on charges of obtaining money from victims under the guise of securing them U.S. green cards through investments in his company. However, Ramirez failed to fulfill his promises, leading to his prosecution.
Ramirez had initially pleaded not guilty when arraigned on a 12-count charge, which was later amended to 16 counts. The court found that the prosecution presented compelling evidence, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Ramirez was guilty of obtaining funds under false pretenses and converting the victims’ money for personal use.
Among the charges, Ramirez was found guilty of defrauding several victims, including Godson Onyemaechi Echegile and Abubakar Umar Sadiq, of sums ranging from $230,000 to $545,000.
Justice Dada sentenced Ramirez to 10 years each for counts one to 12 related to false pretenses and 10 years each for counts 13 to 16 related to theft. Additionally, Ramirez received an eight-year sentence on counts related to the $368,698.24 fraud.
