United States law enforcement authorities have charged a Nigerian, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, with allegedly conspiring to defraud the US government of more than $100 million in tax refunds by using stolen identities.
Raheem, 43, was extradited from the Republic of Benin, where he was detained in April, to face federal accusations of fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
He was arraigned Monday on a federal indictment and was remanded to the custody of the US Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
Raheem, of Atlanta, conspired with Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, and others to gather personal information including names, addresses and social security numbers, prosecutors said.
The information was allegedly used to file false forms and direct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to deposit refunds onto prepaid debit cards supplied to addresses they controlled.
Some of the funds were laundered through money orders and used to buy second-hand cars at auctions, some of which were exported to Nigeria, US investigators said. He said the money was also spent on fancy clothes and other goods.
“The breadth of the alleged fraud is staggering,” said Theodore Hertzberg, US attorney.
Prosecutors say federal investigators tried to arrest Raheem at his house in April. They stated a man claiming to be Raheem spoke to them through a video doorbell and indicated he was not home.
A little more than a week later, agents learned that Raheem had booked a trip from Mexico City to Benin. He flew to Benin on 15 April and was apprehended by local officials following an INTERPOL red notice.
Raheem was extradited last week, the US attorney’s office stated, the second extradition from Benin.
A federal grand jury in Georgia indicted him on multiple counts on February 24.
Raheem is facing a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud count, 20 years on the money laundering count, 10 years on the access device fraud count, and a mandatory term of two years on the aggravated identity theft count.
Eletu was separately accused in Texas on Feb. 17 and later arrested in the UK, where extradition proceedings are continuing, prosecutors said.
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