United States authorities have arraigned Nigerian national Akinade Adedeji Raheem over an alleged scheme to obtain more than $100 million in tax refunds using stolen identities.
Raheem, 43, was extradited from the Republic of Benin, where he was arrested in April, to face federal charges of fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
He was arraigned on a federal indictment on Monday and remanded in the custody of the US Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
According to a statement released by the US attorney’s office on Tuesday, Raheem and his alleged accomplices submitted more than 300 fraudulent tax returns between 2018 and 2023, using the identities of tax professionals and American taxpayers.
Prosecutors said Raheem, who resided in Atlanta, worked with Abayomi Quadri Eletu, who lives in the United Kingdom (UK) and Nigeria, alongside other alleged co-conspirators to obtain personal details, including names, addresses and social security numbers.
The information was allegedly used to submit fraudulent tax returns, with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) instructed to pay the refunds into prepaid debit cards delivered to addresses under their control.
US authorities alleged that some of the proceeds were laundered through money orders and used to purchase second-hand vehicles at auctions, with some subsequently shipped to Nigeria. The funds were also allegedly spent on designer clothing and other goods.
“The scope of the alleged fraud is staggering,” Theodore Hertzberg, US attorney, said.
Prosecutors said federal agents attempted to arrest Raheem at his residence in April. According to their account, a man who identified himself as Raheem spoke to the agents through a video doorbell and claimed he was not at home.
Less than a week later, the agents reportedly discovered that Raheem had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin. He arrived in the country on April 15 and was arrested by local authorities following an INTERPOL red notice.
The US attorney’s office said Raheem was extradited to the United States last week, marking the second extradition of its kind from Benin.
A federal grand jury in Georgia indicted Raheem on February 24 on multiple charges.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, another 20 years for money laundering and up to 10 years for access device fraud. The aggravated identity theft charge also carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors said Eletu was separately indicted in Texas on February 17 and was subsequently arrested in the UK, where extradition proceedings are ongoing.