Nigerian man living in Atlanta facing federal charges for $100 million tax return fraud scheme, DA says

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

Authorities with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia say that Akinade Adedeji Raheem was extradicted from Benin to the U.S. last week following his arrest by local authorities.

According to investigators, 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 by creating online accounts with the IRS and requesting the private information. Once they received the details, the group allegedly filed more than 300 fake tax returns claiming massive amounts of refunds.

Prosecutors say Raheem, Eletu, and others told the IRS to split the refunds on prepaid debit cards that were then shipped around the country 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."

In February, a federal grand jury in 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. Law enforcement agencies attempted to arrest Raheem in April, but were unable to. A week after the attempted arrest, officials say the Nigerian national booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin, where he was arrested.

Eletu was arrested in the United Kingdom, officials say he is currently in custody there, awaiting extradition to the United States.

Raheem remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. If found guilty of the charges, he faces decades in prison.