American Businessman Sentenced to 74 Years in Prison for $1.5 Million Visa Fraud

An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced Marco Antonio Ramirez, an American businessman, to 74 years in prison for his involvement in a $1.568 million visa scam. The ruling was delivered yesterday by Justice Mojisola Dada, who found Ramirez guilty of multiple counts of fraud.

Ramirez was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with a nine-count charge related to a $1.2 million visa fraud and $368,698 theft. The EFCC alleged that Ramirez, through his companies USA Now LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP, and USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, defrauded investors by promising them participation in the United States’ EB-5 Investor Visa Program, which he claimed would secure them a U.S. Green Card. Ramirez failed to deliver on his promises, and the funds were never used for the intended investments.

Justice Dada sentenced Ramirez to eight years on counts one to six and 10 years each on counts seven and eight for visa-related fraud. Additionally, Ramirez received a 10-year sentence for each of the 12 counts of obtaining money under false pretenses and for stealing charges.

Ramirez’s crimes date back to February and April 2013 when he illegally converted $545,000 belonging to Godson Onyemaechi Echegile for personal use. Despite initially pleading not guilty to a 12-count charge in 2022, he was re-arraigned on 16 counts after the EFCC amended the charges.

During the trial, the EFCC prosecution, led by M.S. Owede, presented several witnesses and documents to support the allegations. The defense, represented by Lawal Pedro (SAN), cross-examined the witnesses, but after several delays, the final arguments were adopted on May 8, 2024. Justice Dada ultimately found Ramirez guilty of all charges, including a separate $368,698 fraud case.

The EFCC revealed that one of the victims, Gabriel Ogie Edeoghon, was duped into investing $250,000 into Ramirez’s company under the pretense of qualifying for a U.S. Green Card through the EB-5 program, a promise Ramirez knew was false.

Ramirez was sentenced to an additional 10 years for this fraud, adding to the overall 74-year prison term.