Atlanta-based Nigerian man faces US federal charges over $100m tax return fraud

A Nigerian citizen who lived in Atlanta is facing federal charges for allegedly conspiring to steal over $100 million in tax refunds through fraudulent returns, CBS News reports, citing federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said Akinade Adedeji Raheem was extradited from Benin last week after his arrest by local authorities.

Investigators allege that Raheem and Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, worked with a group to steal the identities of hundreds of taxpayers and filed more than 300 fake tax returns. The refunds were allegedly split onto prepaid debit cards and laundered through money orders and other purchases.

“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,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The scope of the alleged fraud is staggering.”

A federal grand jury indicted Raheem in February on 30 counts, including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and money laundering. Officials said he booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin a week after a failed April arrest attempt.

Eletu is in custody in the UK awaiting extradition. Raheem remains in U.S. Marshals Service custody and faces decades in prison if convicted.