.jpeg)
Akinade Adedeji Raheem, a 43-year-old Nigerian, was extradited from the Republic of Benin to the United States to face federal charges for an alleged tax refund fraud scheme worth over $100 million.
The US Department of Justice said Raheem appeared in court on Monday in Atlanta, Georgia, on charges of fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft after being extradited the week before.
The department said Raheem and his alleged co-conspirators filed more than 300 fraudulent tax returns between 2018 and 2023 to obtain more than $100 million in refunds from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Prosecutors said the group used stolen identities of American taxpayers and accountants to get personal information like names, addresses, and Social Security numbers.
The indictment said the suspects created online IRS accounts to access private taxpayer information and redirected mail to addresses they controlled.
With the stolen information, they submitted fake tax returns and told the IRS to send refunds on prepaid debit cards to addresses they controlled.
The department said they laundered some of the money through money orders bought in amounts small enough to avoid reporting requirements.
Prosecutors said Raheem and his alleged co-conspirators also used the money to buy used vehicles at auction, some of which were sent to Nigeria, along with designer clothes and other items.
US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said the alleged scheme used hundreds of stolen identities and impacted taxpayers nationwide.
“The scope of the alleged fraud is staggering,” Hertzberg said. He also noted that Raheem’s extradition showed law enforcement agencies working together across countries.
Court records show that a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Raheem on February 24, 2026.
He is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, 14 counts of access device fraud, and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft.
If found guilty, Raheem could get up to 20 years in prison for the fraud conspiracy charge, 20 years for money laundering conspiracy, and 10 years for access device fraud. The aggravated identity theft charge requires a mandatory two-year prison sentence.
The US authorities said Raheem was arrested in the Republic of Benin on April 15, 2026, under an INTERPOL Red Notice after travelling from Mexico City. He had previously lived in Atlanta.
His extradition marks the second time the Justice Department has extradited a person from the Republic of Benin to the United States.
A second defendant, Abayomi Quadri Eletu, described as a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, was separately indicted in February for the alleged scheme. Authorities arrested him in the United Kingdom, where extradition proceedings are pending.
Raheem remains in the custody of the US Marshals Service pending further court proceedings.
The Justice Department stressed that the indictment contains allegations and that Raheem is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
