A 43-year-old Nigerian, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, has been arraigned in the United States over an alleged tax refund fraud scheme involving more than $100 million in claims filed using stolen identities.
Raheem, who was extradited from the Republic of Benin after his arrest in April, faces federal charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, money laundering, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
He was arraigned on a federal indictment on Monday and remanded in the custody of the US Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
According to a statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, Raheem and his alleged accomplices filed more than 300 fraudulent tax returns between 2018 and 2023 using the identities of tax professionals and American taxpayers.
Prosecutors alleged that Raheem, who previously lived in Atlanta, Georgia, worked with Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, and other co-conspirators to obtain personal information, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers.
The information was allegedly used to submit fraudulent tax returns and direct the Internal Revenue Service to pay refunds onto prepaid debit cards sent to addresses controlled by the suspects.
US authorities further alleged that proceeds from the scheme were laundered through money orders and used to purchase second-hand vehicles at auctions, some of which were subsequently shipped to Nigeria.
The funds were also allegedly spent on designer clothing and other items.
“The scope of the alleged fraud is staggering,” the US Attorney, Theodore Hertzberg, said.
How Raheem Was Arrested
According to prosecutors, federal agents attempted to arrest Raheem at his residence in April. However, they alleged that a man who identified himself as Raheem responded through a video doorbell and claimed he was not at home.
Less than a week later, investigators reportedly discovered that Raheem had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin.
He arrived in Benin on April 15 and was arrested by local authorities following an INTERPOL Red Notice.
The US Attorney’s Office said Raheem was extradited to the United States last week, marking the second extradition of its kind from Benin.
A federal grand jury in Georgia had indicted him on February 24 on multiple charges connected to the alleged scheme.
Possible Prison Sentence
If convicted, Raheem faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, another 20 years for money laundering, and up to 10 years for access device fraud.
He also faces a mandatory two-year prison sentence for aggravated identity theft, according to prosecutors.
Meanwhile, Eletu was separately indicted in Texas on February 17 and was subsequently arrested in the United Kingdom, where extradition proceedings are reportedly pending.
The allegations against Raheem and his co-defendants have yet to be established in court.
