The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has presented its first witness in the trial of Edidiong Isidore James, also known as Jessy Isidore James, over an alleged $41,000 romance scam.
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James is standing trial before Justice Maurine Oyetenu of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on three counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, June 18, 2026, Deputy Superintendent of the EFCC, Unyime P. Moses, testified that evidence linking the defendant to the alleged fraud was recovered from his mobile phone.
Moses told the court that communications extracted from the device showed exchanges between James and a Hungarian woman identified as Elizabeth, whom he allegedly addressed as “My Everything.”
According to the witness, the chats contained details of financial transactions and showed that Elizabeth repeatedly demanded the return of the money she had allegedly sent to the defendant.
The court heard that rather than refunding the money, James allegedly demanded an additional $900 as a condition for releasing the $41,000.
“Send me $900 if you want your money back, because if you don’t send me the $900, I won’t give you your money back,” he allegedly wrote.
Moses further testified that when Elizabeth threatened to report the matter to the EFCC, James allegedly boasted that the commission could not arrest him.
The witness said James allegedly used fictitious identities to communicate with his victims and identified himself as “Jessy James” when he was arrested. A Bank Verification Number check, however, reportedly revealed that the name was false.
Moses also narrated how investigators contacted Elizabeth during the investigation. According to the witness, the alleged victim expressed anger over her experience and insisted that any further communication should be conducted through her country’s embassy.
James was arrested on October 8, 2025, at his residence on Ring Road 3, off Camp Gee, Uyo, during an intelligence-driven operation.
The EFCC said an iPhone 15 Pro Max, a Redmi 13 mobile phone and a Lexus ES350 were recovered during the operation. The items were tendered by prosecution counsel Joshua Abolarin and admitted by the court as exhibits.
Forensic examination of the devices allegedly uncovered communications showing that James had maintained contact with Elizabeth for more than three years and received a total of $41,000 from her while continuing to demand additional payments.
The commission alleged that James operated fictitious Facebook and WhatsApp accounts through which he targeted foreign nationals in romance scams and identity-theft schemes.
Although the defendant reportedly claimed that he received only $4,000 from Elizabeth, the EFCC said conversations retrieved from his devices indicated that he obtained substantially more.
James was arraigned on January 30, 2026, and pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge.
One of the counts alleges that he obtained $41,000 from Elizabeth and other victims under the false pretence of investing the money in Bitcoin and foreign-exchange trading.
The alleged offence is contrary to Section 1(1)(c) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Following the witness’s cross-examination, Justice Oyetenu adjourned the trial until September 22 and 23, 2026, for further hearing.
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