An American businessman, Marco Antonio Ramirez, has been sentenced to 68 years in prison for defrauding victims of over $1.6 million in a visa scam. On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, found Ramirez guilty of the charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ramirez, along with his companies USA NOW LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP, and USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, was accused of running a fraudulent scheme that promised to secure U.S. green cards for his victims through the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) Investor Program. He allegedly received over $1.2 million in processing fees from multiple victims, but failed to deliver on his promises.
Initially arraigned on a 12-count charge, Ramirez pleaded not guilty but was later re-arraigned on June 24, 2022, on an amended 16-count charge. Among the charges was the misappropriation of $545,000 belonging to Godson Onyemaechi Echegile and $314,800 belonging to Abubakar Umar Sadiq. Additional charges involved sums of $230,000, also from Sadiq, which Ramirez allegedly converted for his personal use.
The prosecution, led by M.S. Owede, presented several pieces of documentary evidence and called witnesses to support their case. Despite multiple adjournments and delays in adopting the final written addresses, the court delivered judgment on September 10, 2024, finding Ramirez guilty on all counts. Justice Dada sentenced him to 10 years in prison for each of the counts related to obtaining by false pretense and stealing.
In addition to the main case, Ramirez faced a separate nine-count charge related to a $368,698.24 fraud. He was accused of falsely obtaining $250,000 from Gabriel Ogie Edeoghon and $50,281.33 from Oludare Talabi, under the pretense of helping them secure U.S. visas through fraudulent investment schemes. Ramirez again pleaded not guilty to these charges, but the prosecution, led by S.O. Daji, presented compelling evidence.
Following the court proceedings and the adjournment of final arguments in May 2024, Justice Dada ruled in favor of the prosecution, sentencing Ramirez to an additional eight years each for counts one to six, and 10 years each for counts seven and eight.
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