The Lagos State Special Offenses Court in Ikeja on Tuesday, September 10, sentenced American businessman Marco Antonio Ramirez to 74 years in prison for defrauding victims out of $1.2 million through an EB-5 visa scam, as well as an additional $368,698.24 in related fraud.
Ramirez was found guilty on multiple consolidated charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court determined that the prosecution had successfully established Ramirez’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
For the first set of charges, Ramirez received eight-year sentences for counts one through six, and ten-year sentences for counts seven and eight. On the second set of charges, he was sentenced to ten years each on counts one to twelve for obtaining money under false pretenses, and ten years each on counts thirteen to sixteen for theft.
The EFCC revealed that Ramirez, through his companies—United States of America (USA) Now LLC, Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP, and USA Now Energy Capital Group LP—deceived victims by promising access to the Employment-Based Fifth Preference USA Investor Program. This program was purportedly designed to secure U.S. Green Cards and permanent residency for investors. Instead, Ramirez misappropriated the funds for personal use.
In her judgment, the presiding judge stated, “The convict dishonestly converted the money meant for investments to his personal use. The prosecution has convincingly proved that the promises made were false and the funds were obtained through fraudulent means.”
The fraudulent activities reportedly took place in 2013, with one victim losing $545,000 under the false pretense of a processing fee for a Green Card through the EB-5 program.
Initially, Ramirez faced twelve counts of fraud and pleaded not guilty. However, after the EFCC amended the charges, he was re-arraigned on sixteen counts on June 24, 2022. The offenses were committed between February 5 and April 18, 2013, in Lagos.
During the trial, the prosecution presented extensive documentary evidence and witnesses, while Ramirez was cross-examined by his defense counsel, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Following several adjournments, final written addresses were adopted on May 8, 2024, and judgment was delivered on September 10.
In addition to the primary charges, Ramirez was convicted in a separate case for defrauding another victim of $250,000 on July 26, 2013. He falsely claimed this money was for an investment in USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, which would supposedly qualify the victim for a U.S. Green Card through the EB-5 program. For this specific fraud, Ramirez received additional sentences of eight years each for counts one through six and ten years each for counts seven and eight.
