Australian Internet fraudster jailed over Nigerian-style scam

SYDNEY – An Australian who masterminded a global Internet scam that fleeced victims of five million Australian dollars (N$23,18 million) was jailed for five years yesterday, court officials said.

Nick Marinellis, 40, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud and one of perverting the course of justice in relation to a scam along the lines of the well-known “Nigerian” or “West African” ones. He was sentenced in the New South Wales District Court to five years and three months in jail, with orders that he should not be paroled until he had served at least four years and four months.Marinellis set up a website that offered millions of dollars in lottery winnings, inheritance or from business opportunities if participants sent off “expenses” ranging up to more than one million Australian dollars, the court heard.He worked with “unknown African males” to target victims in Australia and overseas, including a Saudi Arabian sheik who was defrauded of 571,302 Australian dollars.A police officer said outside the court that police managed to confiscate 1.5 million Australian dollars in assets from Marinellis.-Nampa-AFPHe was sentenced in the New South Wales District Court to five years and three months in jail, with orders that he should not be paroled until he had served at least four years and four months.Marinellis set up a website that offered millions of dollars in lottery winnings, inheritance or from business opportunities if participants sent off “expenses” ranging up to more than one million Australian dollars, the court heard.He worked with “unknown African males” to target victims in Australia and overseas, including a Saudi Arabian sheik who was defrauded of 571,302 Australian dollars.A police officer said outside the court that police managed to confiscate 1.5 million Australian dollars in assets from Marinellis.-Nampa-AFP