Two Nigerian nationals, Akinade Raheem and Abayomi Eletu, are facing up to 50 years in prison each in the United States over an alleged large-scale tax fraud operation involving stolen identities.
According to a statement from the United States Department of Justice, the pair are accused of orchestrating a scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $100 million from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They allegedly worked with accomplices to impersonate accountants and taxpayers in order to file false tax returns and claim illegitimate refunds.
Investigators say that between 2018 and 2023, the suspects acquired sensitive personal information—including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers—belonging to tax professionals and individuals. This data was then used to create fraudulent IRS accounts and access confidential taxpayer records.
Authorities allege that more than 300 fake tax returns were submitted as part of the scheme. The charges against them include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, money laundering, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
While both men face multiple counts, Eletu is additionally charged with several counts of mail and wire fraud, as well as numerous identity theft offences. Raheem, on the other hand, faces multiple counts related to access device fraud and identity theft.
Prosecutors say the defendants also altered victims’ addresses so that IRS correspondence would be redirected to addresses controlled by their network. Some of the illicit proceeds were allegedly laundered through money orders purchased in amounts designed to avoid reporting requirements.
The funds were reportedly used to acquire used vehicles from auction platforms—some of which were shipped to Nigeria—as well as luxury clothing and other goods.
If convicted, the defendants face severe penalties, including up to 20 years each for fraud and money laundering charges, additional time for access device fraud, and mandatory sentences for identity theft offences.
The indictments were filed in federal courts in Georgia and Texas, and Eletu has since been arrested in the United Kingdom at the request of US authorities.
