US arraigns Nigerian extradited from Benin Republic over alleged $100m tax fraud

United States law enforcement authorities have arraigned a Nigerian, Akinade Adedeji Raheem, over an alleged scheme to claim 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 issued by the US attorney’s office on Tuesday, Raheem and his alleged co-conspirators filed more than 300 false tax returns between 2018 and 2023 using the identities of tax professionals and American taxpayers.

Prosecutors said Raheem, who lived in Atlanta, worked with Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a resident of the United Kingdom (UK) and Nigeria, and others to obtain personal information, including names, addresses and social security numbers.

They allegedly used the information to file fraudulent returns and instructed the internal revenue service (IRS) to deposit refunds onto prepaid debit cards sent to addresses they controlled.

According to the US authorities, some of the proceeds were laundered through money orders and used to buy second-hand cars at auctions, some of which were shipped to Nigeria. The funds were also allegedly spent on designer clothing and other items.

“The scope of the alleged fraud is staggering,” Theodore Hertzberg, US attorney, said.

According to prosecutors, federal agents attempted to arrest Raheem at his home in April. They said a man who identified himself as Raheem spoke to them through a video doorbell and said he was not home.

Less than a week later, agents learnt that Raheem had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin. He arrived in Benin on April 15 and was arrested by local authorities following an INTERPOL red notice.

The US attorney’s office said Raheem was extradited last week, marking the second such extradition from Benin.

A federal grand jury in Georgia indicted him on February 24 on multiple charges.

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.

Prosecutors said Eletu was separately indicted in Texas on February 17 and was later arrested in the UK, where extradition proceedings are pending.