Kenyan Businessman jailed in US for 10 years

mary kulundu

February 14, 2018 7:30 AM

Kenyan businessman tries to defraud US Government millions

A wealthy Kenyan businessman has been jailed for 10 years in the United States.

Jeffrey Sila Ndungi who is a registered owner of two planes parked at Wilson Airport, was convicted on two counts of theft of public funds and one count of aggravated identity theft.

On August 9, 2016, Ndungi is accused of attempting to defraud the US Government a whopping Sh77 million.

According to evidence presented in court, the 32-year-old obtained Treasury check payable worth Sh77 million payable to an individual identified as C.S. that had been issued on a federal income tax return filed electronically from Kenya.

He then delivered the treasury check to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation (CI) undercover agent in exchange for Sh4, 800,000.

Arrested

However, he was arrested on September 11, 2016, at Los Angeles airport as he attempted to board a flight to Nairobi, Kenya.

“Sila was also convicted of the theft of another treasury refund check that had been issued on an electronically filed return filed in 2012,” the court papers read.

According to the US regulations, the maximum statutory penalty for the identity theft count is a mandatory term of two years in prison and a Sh25, 000,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for the theft of public funds counts are a maximum statutory penalty of ten years in prison and a Sh25,000,000 fine.

Ndungi will serve his 10 years jail term at Dallas Prison.

mary kulundu