A Nigerian businessman, Mr. Olukayode Sodimu, on Friday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court how an American and alleged serial conman, Marco Ramirez, defrauded him of $145,000 in a Green Card scam.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ramirez is accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of defrauding five Lagos-based Nigerians of $1.5M.
Ramirez faces two separate criminal suits at the Special Offences Court.
He is standing trial alongside his companies - USA Now LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP and USA Now Capital Group.
In the first suit, the American is accused of allegedly defrauding two Nigerians - Gabriel Edeoghon and Oludare Talabi of $388,838.
In the second suit, he allegedly defrauded three Nigerians- Amb. Godson Echejue, Mr. Abubakar Umar and Sodimu of $1.2M.
While being led in evidence by Mr. M. F. Owede, the EFCC's Prosecuting Counsel, Sodimu, told the court that he first got to know Ramirez and his company in 2013 through an advertisement in a national newspaper for an Employment-based Fifth Preference (EB-5) American Investment programme.
"The advert in the paper said that USA Now LLC was the regional centre for the EB-5 Investment Programme and that one could invest $500,000 in it.
"It stated that by investing $500,000, the investor and his children under 21-years of age will be issued a U.S. Green Card, which implies permanent residency in the U.S."
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