CON-KING!
Oluwo Jailed, Deported From U.S. After Trying To Cash Stolen £247k Cheque’
. The 'Funky King' was jailed for 15 months in 1998
An exclusive story by British tabloid, The Sun has uncovered the dark side of Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi.
In its May 19th edition, the British tabloid
chronicled how the controversial monarch was jailed in the U.S.for 15 months in
1998 and subsequently deported for the second term for attempting to cash a
stolen £247, 000 cheque from a Boston bank.
The Sun’s exclusive report on the Oluwo coincided with its
coverage of the recent visit to Lagos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince
Harry and Meghan Merkie.
A NIGERIAN King who Prince Harry called his
"in-law" is reportedly a conman and has been deported from the US
twice.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a three-day visit to
Nigeria last weekend.
The Sussexes kicked off their "faux-Royal tour"
with a visit to Lightway Academy, a primary and secondary school in the
capital.
They then went to Nigeria's defence HQ on Friday to meet
military wives and senior officials.
The following day Harry was snapped playing volleyball,
before Meghan referred to Nigeria as "my country".
During their visit, the pair also met with the kings of four
different states in Lagos on Sunday.
At the gathering, Harry playfully called the Nigerian royals
his "in- laws" and said "I'll skip the protocol because at this
point we're all family".
Among them was the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale
Akanbi of Osun State.
The 56-year-old, known as the "Funky King",
presented the Sussexes with several gifts and said to Meghan: "Thank God
you are one of us."
He also gave the Duchess, 42, the Yoruba name Adetokunbo -
meaning "royalty from across the seas".
His wife Queen Firdaus posed for a photo with Meghan and
later posted on her Instagram account.
But the Nigerian royal is a convicted fraudster who was
twice kicked out of America, according to the Mail on Sunday.
He was allegedly first arrested in Boston in 1998 after he
tried to cash a stolen cheque for £247,000 from aviation company Boeing.
Akanbi posed as a successful businessman called Joseph
Pigott but cops were alerted by a suspicious bank teller at BankBoston.
The conman was also charged for forging a cheque for £59,000
using the name Thomas Eyring.
His £1,500 fine was waived '"because of an inability to
pay'", the Mail reported.
Despite being banned from re-entering the US, he was then
said to have been caught attempting to cross the border in March 2011.
Akanbi was with his then-wife Rakiya Saidu and young son and
claimed they were going to New York to shop.
Facing the prospect of a maximum prison sentence of 20 years
and a £197,000 fine, Akanbi pleaded guilty.
He was sentenced to time served, deported and banned from
the US for life for a second time.
It is not suggested that Harry and Meghan knew of Akanbi's
background.
The Sun has contacted the Sussexes for comment.
It comes as their Archewell Foundation is no longer listed
as "delinquent" by California's Registry of Charities and
Fundraisers.
On Monday the charity was listed as "delinquent"
and a delinquency notice letter was sent to the foundation on May 3 for
"failing to submit required annual report(s) and/or renewal fees".
But on Tuesday the status of Archewell Foundation had been
changed to "current".
The letter had warned that an organisation listed as
delinquent is banned from "soliciting or disbursing charitable funds"
and "its registration may be suspended or revoked by the registry".
On Tuesday, a statement from California's Department of
Justice said the Archewell Foundation is "current and in good
standing".
It is understood the issue arose from a payment which was
thought to have been sent but was said to have not been received.
However, new records show the required payment was sent last
year and was delivered on schedule.
The Archewell Foundation said after investigating that it
found payments were made "promptly" and all paperwork was filed
"without error or wrongdoing".
A spokesperson for the Archewell Foundation said: "We
have diligently investigated the situation and can confirm that the Archewell
Foundation remains fully compliant and in good standing.
"Due payments were made promptly and in accordance with
the IRS's processes and procedures.
"Furthermore, all necessary paperwork had been filed by
the foundation without error or wrongdoing."
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