Olalekan Ponle, widely known as Woodberry, has been handed an eight-year prison sentence by a United States district court for his involvement in fraud.

Woodberry, an associate of Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, was arrested in Dubai, UAE, alongside Hushpuppi and subsequently transported to the US for separate trials.

Initially, Hushpuppi denied all charges but eventually changed his plea and received an 11-year prison sentence.

Similarly, Woodberry, who was accused of defrauding a US company of approximately $188,000, maintained his innocence for over two years.

However, he later opted to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud during a change of plea hearing held in April at the US District Court for Northern Illinois.

On April 6, Judge Robert Gettleman accepted Woodberry's change of plea, and the sentencing was delivered on Tuesday, resulting in an eight-year prison term. Additionally, Woodberry now faces the possibility of deportation.

The judge also said Woodberry would be “surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation immediately following his incarceration”.

Woodberry is expected to pay about $8 million in restitution to seven of his victims.