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A witness and brother of the complainant testified that he saw the accused receive a significant sum of money, bolstering allegations that Andrew Danny Stephanus Lahia defrauded a woman through false promises of securing a U.S. visa.
The accused, Lahia, appeared before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Court No. 2 on Monday, 11 August 2025.
He faces serious charges related to a $92,000 visa fraud scheme. Lahia is charged with conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretenses, forgery, and uttering a forged document, under various sections of the Forgery Act of 1913.
According to police records, the alleged offenses took place between April 4 and April 20, 2025 in Freetown. Lahia is accused of conspiring with unknown persons to defraud the complainant.
It is alleged that on April 4, Lahia received $21,000 (approximately Le 504,000) from the complainant under false promises of securing an American visa to facilitate her relatives’ travel to the United States.
On April 20, he reportedly received an additional $71,000 (about Le 1,704,000) from the complainant, again claiming he would secure the visa, all while knowing his claims were false.
Further charges allege that on May 30, Lahia forged and uttered a U.S. visa with control number 20251847360005, falsely claiming it was issued by the U.S. Embassy.
When the charges were read, Lahia did not enter a plea.
During proceedings, Alfred Inga Bangura, an IT specialist and the complainant’s brother, testified that he recognized both the complainant and Lahia. He recounted that on April 4 and 20, 2025, the complainant sent money to a man named Simbo to deliver to Lahia.
Bangura stated that he personally witnessed Simbo handing over more than $21,000 to Lahia at Campbell Street. He produced a receipt he had drafted, which both he and Lahia signed, and also took a photograph of the document as evidence.
The prosecution requested a short adjournment, while the defense counsel, AR Blah, applied for bail. However, Magistrate Fornah rejected the bail application and adjourned the case to August 15, 2025, for further proceedings.
