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DCI says ready to arrest man who conned US-based Kenyan Sh10m

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The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has asked activist Boniface Mwangi to provide it with details of an incident in which a Kenyan living in the United States was conned Ksh 10 million by a friend-turned-conman.

He had been duped by the man that he had won a deal with Chinese construction firm, Avic, to supply materials to a construction cite in Westlands, Nairobi.

This was after Mwangi highlighted the matter on social media, saying efforts by the man, only identified as Nesphor, to get justice have been frustrated by a senior police office.

According to Nesphor, he first met John Karundo Mukundi – popularly known as “Tony” – in Kansas, US in 2007 before he reappeared again a decade later to inform him he is returning to Kenya to join his father, saying he allegedly has big tenders for road construction and planned to expand the business.

After arriving in Kenya, Tony kept contact and in the process informed him he was making his first personal investment, Blacky’s Bar and Restaurant in Hurlingham, Nairobi. It later emerged he was using the place as the base for his clandestine activities and that many other people had been conned while believing he owned the bar. He was later kicked out following complaints.

A year later, Tony informs him of the AVIC contracts and goes on to tell him he needed help with capital and would like him to become a partner.

Citing the urgency of executing the contract,  Tony quickly wins over Nesphor, who then told him he would task his father to scrutinise the contract.

His father was then easily tricked by Tony, who described him as a soft-spoken young man with very few words after their first encounter, into agreeing to the venture though later there were telltale signs all was not well.

In the end, Nesphor was conned of a total of US$100,000 (Ksh 10 million) through the digital app, Wave, which he drew from his personal savings, in addition to borrowing from family and friends. He had hoped to get 50% of the Ksh 91.77 million, which Tony, through falsified documents indicated was the contract value, money which was to be paid to NessTony, the jointly-owned company Tony claimed to have registered.

Nesphor was later to learn that Tony had conned another friend Ksh 1 million, which he borrowed with a promise to repay in two weeks but did not, and he had escaped probation after a five-year sentence in the US.

“He had been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for filing false federal income tax returns. Tony had pleaded guilty to 14 counts of making false claims and 12 counts of wire fraud. In Kenya, he was a known conman and in court for allegedly assaulting a woman after she demanded Ksh 800,000 he owed her.”

According to the post by Mwangi, Nesphor has been looking for Tony for the last one month. He started by asking for the help of the flying squad officers, whose offices are located at Central Firearms Bureau, next to Integrity Centre.

“He and his dad gave statements and all the evidence they had. The Flying squad officer claim they went to Tony’s residence in Kasarani area, but he refused to come out, insisting that he could only do so with his lawyer. And then his family connections kicked into play. His father called a powerful officer, a Mr Kingori, who called the flying squad officers, told them to stand down and promised to arrest and bring Tony in for questioning himself. There was no further progress forthcoming from the flying squad after the call from Mr Kingori,” it says.

“Nesphor also reported the matter to Kasarani Police Station and a sympathetic officer shared with him a brief history of their encounter with Tony, who he said vandalizes people’s property and doesn’t fear the law, since his father allegedly a powerful man in the area. Kasarani Police relayed information about negative encounters with Tony, including rumours that he owned guns and took Nesphor to see Tony’s family residence, a huge imposing place with heavy security, electric fence and CCTV cameras,” adds the post.

READ: SEPTEMBER HARDEST MONTH FOR KENYANS AS FUEL TAX BITES

He is now offering Ksh 100,000 for anyone who can help have Tony, who is said to have changed his base to Homeland Bar along Thika superhighway, arrested.

Mwangi’s post attracted many the attention of many Kenyans, one of whom said Tony conned him Ksh 500,000 in a similar manner. Some advised Nesphor to take the law into his hands as others suggested he involved the DCI directly, saying a lot had changed. The DCI has gained the confidence of many Kenyans since George Kinoti took over especially as a result of high profile arrests.

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BT Reporter
BT Reporterhttp://www.businesstoday.co.ke
editor [at] businesstoday.co.ke
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