Did You Know? Nigerian ‘Prince’ Scammed a NASCAR Driver & Put an F1 Team Into Bankruptcy

In the motorsports scene, the name Malik Ado Ibrahim is quite familiar with the fans for the wrong reasons. Back during the late 1990s, he posed as an African prince and offered to buy a stake in an F1 team in exchange for $125 million. He even pitched the brand ‘T-minus’, an alleged energy drinks company. Unfortunately for the team, he pretty much scammed the backmarker outfit. A few years later, the ‘prince’ was at it again, and this time he dipped a toe in the NASCAR market.

This time around, it all caught up with Ibrahim and he was arrested in 2008. The charges were that he stole $750,000 from Robert Richardson Sr. That money was supposed to help develop an up-and-coming NASCAR driver Robert Richardson Jr. Owing to the scandal, Ibrahim eventually returned to his native Nigeria after posting bail.

What happened to the Prince and the NASCAR driver?

In the buildup to the trial, Ibrahim made a few false statements and that led to the fine. However, there was soon a warrant for the Nigerian’s arrest following another scam. The prosecuting attorney dubbed him “a manipulator of men and a manipulator of the desires of men’s hearts“.

On the bright side, Richardson Jr wasn’t too badly affected in his NASCAR career. In the Xfinity Series arena, he enjoyed 129 race starts over 8 years. This also includes a career-best finish of ninth at the Daytona International Speedway in 2013. In the Cup Series, he took part in nine races over a span of five years.

During that time, he had a best finish of 18th at the Talladega Superspeedway in 2009, his very first race. Meanwhile, in the Truck Series scene, he competed in 24 races in 3 years, with a best finish of 16th at Talladega in 2006. However, the driver has not made an appearance in NASCAR since the 2016 NASCAR Cup race.

READ MORE: “NASCAR Execs Shaking in They Boots” – Fans React to News of Potential Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix