The U.S. authorities on Monday arraigned a Nigerian, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, accused of filing fraudulent tax returns seeking over $100 million in refunds, for fraud, identity theft, and money laundering.
The Department of Justice said Mr Raheem, 43, faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 20 years for money laundering, and 10 years for access device fraud, as well as a mandatory sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft.
Mr Raheem, who fled the U.S. to Benin Republic, was extradited to the U.S. by the Benin authorities last week. His extradition was the second extradition to the United States from Benin in history.
According to court documents, the charges, and other information presented in court show that between 2018 and 2023, Raheem, who resided in Atlanta, and Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, conspired together and with others to claim fraudulent tax refunds using the stolen identities of accountants and American taxpayers.
“Over the course of their scheme, they allegedly filed more than 300 false tax returns, claiming over $100 million in refunds from the IRS,” the DoJ said.
It added, “Raheem, Eletu, and others allegedly obtained sensitive identifying information for tax professionals and taxpayers, including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, by creating online accounts with the IRS and requesting private taxpayer information.”
Using the personal identifying information of others, Messrs Raheem, Eletu, and their co-conspirators allegedly filed tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds and directed the IRS to split the refunds among prepaid debit cards shipped to addresses controlled by the co-conspirators.
“After the refunds were deposited onto the prepaid debit cards, Raheem and Eletu laundered some of the funds by purchasing, among other things, money orders in amounts low enough to avoid reporting thresholds. They also used the money orders to purchase used cars from auction sites, some of which they shipped to Nigeria, as well as designer clothing and other items,” the DoJ said.
On February 24, 2026, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Mr Raheem on one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, 14 counts of access device fraud, and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft.
The U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said, “Raheem and his co-conspirators allegedly obtained hundreds of stolen identities, filed fraudulent tax returns using that information, and laundered the proceeds through prepaid debit cards and purchases of used cars that were shipped to Nigeria and other locations.”
He added, “The scope of the alleged fraud is staggering. Thanks to the dedication of the prosecution team and our law enforcement partners around the world, Raheem has been extradited to the United States, and his arrest confirms again that no alleged criminal can escape the reach of American justice.”
Recall that in April, the Peoples Gazette reported that two fraudsters, Mr Raheem and Abayomi Eletu, were charged with a stolen-identity tax refund fraud scheme that sought over $100 million from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Mr Eletu, based in the UK, was extradited to face trial in the U.S. over his involvement in the fraud in which stolen identities were used to electronically file tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds, a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice had said.
