American Businessman Marco Ramirez Sentenced to 68 Years in Prison for $1.6 Million Visa Fraud
Lagos, Nigeria – Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, sentenced American businessman Marco Antonio Ramirez to a total of 68 years in prison for his involvement in a $1.6 million visa fraud scheme. Ramirez, who had promised his victims access to U.S. green cards through the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) Investor Programme, was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and theft.
Ramirez, who had been facing charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was accused of obtaining $1.2 million from his victims under false pretenses. He claimed that the funds were investments in his company, USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, which would allow the investors to qualify for the U.S. visa program. The victims, however, never received the promised green cards, and the investments were never fulfilled.
The EFCC had initially arraigned Ramirez on a 12-count charge, which was later amended to 16 counts. He pleaded not guilty, but the prosecution, led by M.S. Owede, presented documentary evidence and called witnesses to substantiate the charges.
In her ruling, Justice Dada found Ramirez guilty beyond reasonable doubt on all counts, sentencing him to 10 years in prison for each of the first 12 counts related to obtaining money by false pretenses. He was also sentenced to 10 years each for four additional counts related to stealing. The sentences will run concurrently.
In a separate case, Ramirez was convicted on an additional nine-count charge for a $368,698.24 fraud, also brought by the EFCC. The charges included defrauding victims by falsely claiming he could help them obtain U.S. visas through various programs. For this case, Justice Dada sentenced Ramirez to eight years for each of the first six counts and 10 years each for the remaining two counts.
The high-profile case, which saw multiple delays due to the defense’s inability to submit final written addresses on time, concluded with the court determining that Ramirez had intentionally defrauded his victims. His lawyer, Lawal Pedro, SAN, had represented him during the trial.
This case has been seen as a significant victory for the EFCC in its fight against international financial crime, particularly fraud schemes that target Nigerians seeking immigration opportunities.
