Two Nigerians, Texan Jailed In $4.9 Million U.S. Tax Refund Fraud Scheme
Two Nigerians, Texan jailed in $4.9m U.S. tax refund fraud scheme
Two
Nigerian nationals and a Texan have been sentenced to federal prison
for their involvement in a multi-million dollar tax refund fraud scheme
that exploited stolen identities and laundered proceeds through both
U.S. and foreign financial institutions.
Acting U.S.
Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. announced the sentencing of Imafedia
Adevokhai, 47, of Alpharetta, Georgia; Osazuwa Peter Okunoghae, 46, of
Houston, Texas; and Michael Martin, 52, of Texarkana, Texas, following
their guilty pleas in connection with the conspiracy.
Adevokhai,
a Nigerian national, pleaded guilty to money laundering on February 15,
2023, and was sentenced on April 2, 2025, to 46 months in federal
prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III. He was also
ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and $3,500 in forfeiture.
Okunoghae,
another Nigerian national residing in Houston, received the harshest
sentence of the trio — 78 months in federal prison — after pleading
guilty to money laundering conspiracy in November 2019.
He was sentenced on January 13, 2022, and ordered to pay $451,117.63 in both restitution and forfeiture.
Martin,
the only American among the convicted, pleaded guilty to conspiracy on
February 14, 2023. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison on November
21, 2023, and ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and $121,623.41
in forfeiture.
According to court records, the three men were
involved in a sophisticated Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF)
operation spanning multiple years. They used personal identifying
information from dozens of victims to file fraudulent tax returns
totaling nearly $5 million, causing a confirmed loss of over $390,000 to
the U.S. Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“The
Eastern District of Texas is committed to prosecuting individuals who
participate in schemes to steal personal information, prepare and file
fraudulent tax returns, and launder the proceeds,” McGlothin said.
IRS
Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) agents uncovered the fraud after
tracing a complex network of financial transactions involving multiple
U.S. and foreign bank accounts.
Special Agent Christopher J.
Altemus Jr., who leads the IRS-CI Dallas Field Office, praised the
agency’s investigators, stating, “Their sentences should be a warning to
anyone who would try to defraud the U.S. Government or prey on
law-abiding taxpayers.”
The investigation revealed that
Adevokhai primarily handled the preparation and submission of the
fraudulent tax returns, while Okunoghae and Martin focused on laundering
the proceeds — transferring funds through various accounts in a bid to
obscure the source of the money.
Nigerian man extradited to U.S. over cyber intrusion, $1.3m tax fraud scheme
The
case dates back to a broader 2019 indictment that included individuals
from three U.S. states and others based in Nigeria, pointing to a
transnational fraud network.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld and Sean Taylor.
Federal
authorities reiterated that prosecuting SIRF crimes remains a top
priority, as such schemes threaten the integrity of the U.S. tax system
and drain billions from public coffers.
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