US Court Sentences Nigerian To Eight Years For $1.3 Million Tax Fraud Scheme

A 37-year-old Nigerian national, Matthew A. Akande, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a United States federal court for masterminding a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme that fleeced the U.S. government of over $1.3 million through fraudulent tax filings.

NaijaChoice News reports that the convict, who was living in Mexico before his arrest, received the jail term on Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston, Massachusetts.

In addition to the prison sentence, Akande was ordered to pay $1,393,230 in full restitution to the victims and will undergo three years of supervised release after completing his term.

The sentencing follows Akande’s extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States on March 5, 2025, after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport in October 2024 at the request of American authorities.

He had been indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2022 on multiple counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, unauthorised access to protected computers, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft.

According to a detailed statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the scheme ran between June 2016 and June 2021. Akande and his accomplices launched phishing attacks on tax preparation firms in Massachusetts, sending emails disguised as inquiries from prospective clients.

These emails tricked staff into installing remote-access Trojan malware, notably the Warzone RAT programme, which gave the fraudsters access to clients’ personal data and previous tax records.

“Akande worked with others to steal money from the United States government using taxpayers’ personally identifiable information (PII) to file fraudulent tax returns in the taxpayers’ names,” the statement said.

The group filed more than 1,000 fake tax returns, seeking over $8.1 million in refunds. They successfully collected more than $1.3 million, which was wired to bank accounts controlled by co-conspirators in the United States.

The funds were withdrawn in cash, with a portion transferred to third parties in Mexico on Akande’s instructions.

The case highlights the international reach of cybercrime networks and the determination of U.S. authorities to track down perpetrators, no matter where they hide.