Wednesday, October 28 2026 - A 43-year-old Nigerian citizen, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, who allegedly conspired to file
fraudulent tax returns seeking over $100 million in refunds
using stolen identities was extradited to the United States from Benin
Republic.
The United States Department of Justice announced this in a
statement on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
Raheem was arraigned on Monday, October 26, on federal
fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft charges.
"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. 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.”
“Raheem is an alleged co-conspirator in a nationwide
identity theft scheme that victimized hundreds of taxpayers. The fraud
also stole from the U.S. Treasury, impacting programs serving us all. These
come with repercussions that are long lasting, which is why we place a global
emphasis on arresting and extraditing these individuals,” said Special Agent in
Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr., of IRS-CI’s Texas Field Office.
“Protect your tax returns with an identity protection pin at
IRS.gov and know that we are pursuing financial criminals to take back the
stolen money and their freedom.”
“The investigative efforts of the Treasury Inspector General
for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and its partners, along with the prosecutorial
work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, demonstrate the commitment to pursuing,
capturing, and prosecuting those who try to defraud the American people,” said
TIGTA Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Colello.
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other
information presented in court: 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.
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,
Raheem, Eletu, and their co-conspirators allegedly filed tax returns claiming
fraudulent refunds and then 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.
In April 2026, federal law enforcement agents sought to
arrest Raheem at his residence and spoke to a man who identified himself as
Raheem through a video doorbell and stated he was not home.
Less than a week later, agents learned that Raheem booked a
flight from Mexico City to Benin.
On April 15, 2026, Raheem flew into Benin and was arrested
by local authorities pursuant to an INTERPOL Red Notice.
Last week, Benin authorities extradited Raheem to the United
States, which was the second extradition to the United States from Benin in
history.
Raheem was arraigned on a federal indictment and detained in
the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
On February 24, 2026, a federal grand jury in the Northern
District of Georgia indicted 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.
Raheem 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.
On February 17, 2026, Eletu was indicted in the Western
District of Texas. He was later arrested in the United Kingdom, where
extradition proceedings are pending.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only
contain charges.
The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it
will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a
reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue
Service Criminal Investigations and TIGTA.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs,
the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service provided significant
assistance in this matter.
The United States also thanks the United Kingdom for its
valuable assistance in the investigation and INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau
in Benin and Benin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Justice’s Office
of Judiciary Cooperation; and Ministry of Interior, including the Directorate
General of the Police Republicaine; the Airport Police; and the Police Special
Operations Group for their valuable assistance in securing Raheem's arrest and
extradition.
Assistant United States Attorney Brian Pearce of the
Northern District of Georgia, and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael C. Boteler
and Trial Attorney Michael Jones of the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s
Tax Section, are prosecuting the case.
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