walel:

I am amused at the kind of responses to this story apparently a lof of you can't be bothered to read carefully enough simple the woman made from a real estate transaction in Nigeria obvioulsy there are tons of houses that can be sold for that amount of money the biggest tragedy for her at this point is that she most likely will be deported after this, true its not by force to become a US citizen but its safer just in case if she was a US citizen there would not be any possiblitly of deportation for this one offence but because she isnt a one she will/might be deportated after serving her 3years probabtion except the law changes before then

if she's business savvy enough to make huge amounts from real estate, she should be slick enough to transfer funds via a bank. Or just declare it. even criminals dont carry huge amounts of cash when travelling. this will probably get into America's Dumbest Criminal series

@ Topic,

All responses have been interesting so far. I happen to have a Bachelors in Criminal Justice. My take on this is simple. SHE CANT PROVE THE SOURCE! PERIOD. Breaking the law, by not declaring the funds can be an innocent mistake (Lets assume that for the purpose of this forum). However, if you can prove the source e.g sold property in the US. Bought few cars and went to Nigeria to dispose it and coming back. If her pay (and savings) over the time in the US can support her possession of such funds. then no problem.

This is what i think happened at the court proceeding, she will be given a deal that she forfeits the $$$, get suspended sentence. Or she might roll the dice and go to trial, she loses, go to jail and still lose the $$$.

Smart her, the funds belongs to some Baba Isale or just funny $$$, she gave up the funds and run  . come to think of it, especially in California where i live, there are people that bought houses about 5-6years ago and were able to make over $250,000 or more on it. Most people that bought houses about 10years ago have the home prices double or triple (i just happen NOT to be one of those lucky people ). They make a bank after sales.

In reality in some cases, $92,000 is not a lot of $$$ considering shes be in the US for 18years and her profession. I don't have that kind of $$$ though. Nobody gives up $92,000 of their blood, sweat, and tears just like that!

Mumu - how can u say no when u meant to say yes.

A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but he refused and said "Because I don't believe you are over 21." The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because he didn't believe him. At this point the robber took his drivers license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over, and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and he put the scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested the robber two hours later.

WTF?

@topic, Sounds harsh but I think she deserves it. Why did she mark NO whe knew she had something to declare? And for someone who had lived abroad for so long,I think she's hiding something.

why dont they just put her in jail for failing to declare the money. when she gets out of the pen they can return her money to her abi? everyone will be happy!

I am a little bit into Fraud investigation. The only thing that is obvious here is her failure to declare her possession.
She could have made the money legitimately via real estates or stock trading. Infact, there are empirical evidence that she could have made the money on our stock exchange and even more. If only she had invested her money a million naira in either of NASCON, AFRO OIL or COSTAIN in January, she will have nothin short of 1000%.

But why will she NOT declare remains a suspicion. Perhaps, this was not her first time and she's been getting away with it. Is that possible? So guyz in the US that knows about law, if her source is confirmed to be legit, what could be the range of punishment?

I believe she was aware of the law/regulations and chose to ignore them [maybe]-guess we all break rules once in a while and get away with it. Pity is she got the bullet for that.

maxxdjinx:

I believe she was aware of the law/regulations and chose to ignore them [maybe]-guess we all break rules once in a while and get away with it. Pity is she got the bullet for that.

haba bros,
y u dey yarn like dis now?

spoilt:

why don't they just put her in jail for failing to declare the money. when she gets out of the pen they can return her money to her abi? everyone will be happy!

there must be a reason for not declaring the money

she could have earned that money legitimately. afterall she was a nurse in texas. nurses in the u.s get paid bastardly. so its probably not laundered money. she was trying to avoid paying taxes or something.
i just think that failing to declare it doesnt mean they can take her life savings. if it was a white woman who didnt declare it, they would never confisticate the money. its because she's an imigrant. they are always biased!

had she never heard of direct transfer to her account,but then that amount would have raised eyebrows

spoilt:

she could have earned that money legitimately. afterall she was a nurse in texas. nurses in the u.s get paid bastardly. so its probably not laundered money. she was trying to avoid paying taxes or something.
i just think that failing to declare it doesnt mean they can take her life savings. if it was a white woman who didnt declare it, they would never confisticate the money. its because she's an imigrant. they are always biased!

If she works lots and lots of overtime, yes.
But this money was moving from naija to Texas.
were they sending her salary to UBA?

There is more to this story than meets the eye. She's lived in the US for over a decade and she is not exactly traceable. social security number and all. And all that money hummm,  sounds like the literal meaning of laundering, then talk about financiotechnophobia, long word!!!! I got it from the re-revised 2050 chambers english dictionary: it stands for fear of financial technology, "use banks to wire the money Dummytila", As for the US immigration, who no like awof, anyone who's lived abroad knows the "love of freebies" is international. It's high time we Nigerians learn to "do it right", there does my first post, (more like reply) on the beautiful cyberland of the naija currency, NAIRALAND, hello everyone. [color=#990000][/color]

spoilt:

she could have earned that money legitimately. afterall she was a nurse in texas. nurses in the u.s get paid bastardly. so its probably not laundered money. she was trying to avoid paying taxes or something.
i just think that failing to declare it doesnt mean they can take her life savings. if it was a white woman who didnt declare it, they would never confisticate the money. its because she's an imigrant. they are always biased!

You really think so? so you'd probably do the same. na wa o
I dont think you pay tax for a transaction in another country

Crap, Crap, Crap. It's just a money laundering trip gone awry. Who knows how many previous trips were successful. If she had a legit source for the cash, she would have paid a penalty and not forfeit. "Hard earned" money indeed.
I can see that a lot of Nigerians are so disillusioned by the corruption in Naija that the culture is pretty much, "steal all you can but don't get caught". How can people defend this obvious illegality and still complain about the rot in Naija.

na wa o!!!.this is very simple.open a domiciliary account in naija,leave instructions for ur bank to transfer the monies in caches to ur bank in the usa.travel tru the airport,land in usa,go to bank,withdraw ur money.is there anything difficult ere.

pls,mayb she done it b4 and wants to try it again.
if u spend that amount of time in anoda country am sure u will memorize all the rules so that u dnt get caught wanting.cheers

BlackMamba:

Crap, Crap, Crap. It's just a money laundering trip gone awry. Who knows how many previous trips were successful. If she had a legit source for the cash, she would have paid a penalty and not forfeit. "Hard earned" money indeed.
I can see that a lot of Nigerians are so disillusioned by the corruption in Naija that the culture is pretty much, "steal all you can but don't get caught". How can people defend this obvious illegality and still complain about the rot in Naija.

well said
Nigerians have become desensitized to crime especially where money is involved.
It's a big shame.

It's clearly stated: There's a limit to the amount of hard currency you can take into a country. Even at the airport in Naija you've got to declare your cash. Someone who's obviously educated deliberatly set out to beat the system for nefarious reasons, and all some Nigerians can do is to defend blindly without even reading the story?

Sheesh!

you all know nigerians just love carrying loads of money. most nigerians do it. they would rather carry money in hard raw cash for reasons best known to them. she probably tied it in a cloth and hid it between her thighs and thought it was safe. [s]before the dogs sniffed it out. hehehehe! [/s]

OSANOBUA!!.
That must be a sight to have a dog sniff in a "sacred place".
She deserves every jail time she gets,she broke the law in a place where the law works

i know she broke the law by not declaring but lets be real. if this was a white american we wouldnt be having this discussion because that money would not have been confisticated. we are in times where the average american is resentful of all the immigrants coming in and taking all the jobs. any extra offence is magnified beyond measure. she can serve 30 days in prison with probation or whatever.(that would have been more like it). because she wasnt carrying contraband or an illegal substance. she was carrying what i believe was hard earned cash. $ 92,000 for a nurse is no biggie. nigerian nurses especially put in overtime and live in the hospitals to make good cash. whether she was taking it out of the country or into it doesnt matter.[s] last time i checked i can carry my dough in any direction i want.[/s]

spoilt:

i know she broke the law by not declaring but lets be real. if this was a white american we wouldnt be having this discussion because that money would not have been confisticated. we are in times where the average american is resentful of all the immigrants coming in and taking all the jobs. any extra offence is magnified beyond measure. she can serve 30 days in prison with probation or whatever.(that would have been more like it). because she wasnt carrying contraband or an illegal substance. she was carrying what i believe was hard earned cash. $ 92,000 for a nurse is no biggie. nigerian nurses especially put in overtime and live in the hospitals to make good cash. whether she was taking it out of the country or into it doesnt matter.[s] last time i checked i can carry my dough in any direction i want.[/s]

That is not true spoilt.
If you live here in the states,you know a large number of those immigration and custom agents are blacks to begin with.
where did she get such an amount from?
Most Americans can't boast of $5,000 in savings.
This is not about how much she makes but about breaking the law.

It is all a hype what nurses make.
Without overtime,the pay is not as good as many people think.
It is illegal to carry beyond $10,000 without declaring it.
She also lied by writing zero on her form,she ought to be taught a lesson and she should be a lesson to others.

babyosisi:


If you live here in the states,you know a large number of those immigration and custom agents are blacks to begin with.

how does that help your case? they still consider you an immigrant. i know that the matter would have been handled differently if she wasnt an immigrant. and if she wasnt a nigerian. our reputation as nigerians stinks to the high heavens. so this case was already an open and close one from the get go.

If our reputation is tarnished isn't that the more reason the reasonable amongst us should strive to be within the confines of the law.
Anyway you slice it,this woman was wrong.
Countless American non Immigrants including famous people have spent time in prison for money laundering,why should I waste my sympathy on this woman who chose to break the law?

Maybe she thought she was in naija where anything goes.
She should have taken a clue from Alameiseigha

money laundering is passing off illegal money as legally acquired wealth. her offence was not declaring it. lets not get it twisted.

did you read her court transcripts to know what she was charged with?
The case could even have more teeth than we thought.

If her crime was "simply" not declaring it,are you saying she ought to be let loose?
what is the purpose of asking people to declare money in excess of an amount?
Telling lies on official documents carry a penalty,she does not have my sympathy.

why would she carry that huge amount without declaring it if its illegal?will it not be safer if shes done a bank transfer?the judgement is quite harsh but i think the woman is so foolish too.why would she stay that long in the states without getting her stay?there are so many unanswered questions but in as much i dont like the court's judgement i cant also rule out the woman's foolishness.

drealone:

why would she carry that huge amount without declaring it if its illegal?will it not be safer if shes done a bank transfer?the judgement is quite harsh but i think the woman is so foolish too.why would she stay that long in the states without getting her stay?there are so many unanswered questions but in as much i don't like the court's judgement i can't also rule out the woman's foolishness.

una dey harsh here o.

wat if she was ur mum or relative?

She's simply stupid and should be treated as a big fool.

That the price you pay living in a so called "land of freedom and opportunity"

amaikama:

That the price you pay living in a so called "land of freedom and opportunity"

abi bros.

no place like home man!!!!!!!