A Nigerian citizen, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, has been arraigned in a United States federal court over an alleged tax-refund fraud scheme involving more than $100 million in claims submitted using stolen identities.
Raheem, 43, was arraigned on Monday, October 26, following his extradition from Benin Replubic to the United States. He faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to the US Department of Justice, Raheem and his alleged co-conspirators filed more than 300 fraudulent tax returns between 2018 and 2023, seeking over $100 million in refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
READ ALSO: INTERPOL Operation Across 97 Countries Leads to 5,811 Arrests, Recovery of $293m
Prosecutors allege that the group obtained sensitive personal information belonging to American taxpayers and tax professionals, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers, through online IRS accounts. The information was allegedly used to submit false tax returns and redirect refund payments to prepaid debit cards controlled by the suspects.
Investigators further allege that some of the proceeds were laundered through money orders and purchases of used vehicles, some of which were shipped to Nigeria, as well as designer clothing and other items.
Raheem was indicted by a federal grand jury in Georgia on February 24, 2026. Authorities said he was arrested in Benin on April 15 under an INTERPOL Red Notice before being extradited to the United States the following week.
The case also involves Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a co-defendant described by prosecutors as a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria. Eletu was indicted in a separate federal case, and extradition proceedings against him in the United Kingdom were reported to be pending.
Raheem remains in the custody of the US Marshals Service while the case proceeds. If convicted, he faces potential prison sentences of up to 20 years for the fraud conspiracy, up to 20 years for money-laundering conspiracy, and additional penalties for other charges, including a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
The US Department of Justice emphasised that the indictment contains allegations, not proof of guilt. Raheem is presumed innocent unless prosecutors establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.