Nigerian-American, Said to Have Royal Background, is Sentenced to 3 Years Probation for Bilking Job Seekers

By Austin Santiago

 

Osmond Eweka, who is of Nigerian descent and from a royal background, was sentenced to three years probation on criminal fraud changes on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Eweka, an American citizen, and his business partner Kamal McKay were convicted of fraud last July.

Prosecutors said that Eweka had rented an office in the Empire State Building to create a fake job placement company called Stamford Consulting Firm L.L.C.

It was through that office that Eweka would call job seekers, using the fake name of Sean Jackson.

He promised job seekers employment as long as they were willing to pay a fee for his services. The fees ranged from $200-$700.

Shortly after luring hopeful job seekers and collecting their fees, Eweka would stop contacting the individual, or send them to a fake address where no job was waiting.

In July, Eweka’s attorney, Thomas Kenniff, stated that there was nothing false about Eweka’s business. “The reality is that Mr.Eweka has provided honest services to many satisfied clients,” the attorney said.

There was no such talk on Thursday, however, as Eweka faced sentencing before Judge Abraham Clott in New York’s Supreme Court.

Eweka, who showed up late to the sentencing, had no comment as he handed over a cashier’s check for $50,000 to his attorney. The payment was ruled as forfeiture as per his sentence.

Eweka was also sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge, meaning that he will not face any jail time as long as no further crimes are committed in that time span.

The final stipulation of Eweka’s sentence was to pay the court fees which came to $375. Eweka, a Nigerian Prince, requested 60 days to pay said fee.