A Nigerian citizen who allegedly helped orchestrate a scheme to claim more than $100 million in fraudulent tax refunds using stolen identities was arraigned in Atlanta yesterday after his extradition from Benin.
Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, appeared in the Northern District of Georgia on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. He has been remanded in the custody of the US Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Raheem and his co-conspirators obtained hundreds of stolen identities, filed more than 300 false tax returns between 2018 and 2023, and directed the Internal Revenue Service to issue refunds onto prepaid debit cards sent to addresses they controlled. The refunds were later laundered through the purchase of money orders kept below reporting thresholds, used cars that were shipped to Nigeria and other countries, and designer clothing and other goods.
US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said the alleged scheme was staggering in scale. “Raheem and his co-conspirators allegedly obtained hundreds of stolen identities, filed fraudulent tax returns using that information, and laundered the proceeds through prepaid debit cards and purchases of used cars that were shipped to Nigeria and other locations,” he stated. “His arrest confirms again that no alleged criminal can escape the reach of American justice.”
The investigation found that Raheem, who had lived in Atlanta, worked with Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, and others. They allegedly created online accounts with the IRS to obtain sensitive personal details of tax professionals and ordinary taxpayers, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers, then used that information to file the false returns.
In early April 2026 federal agents sought to arrest Raheem at his Atlanta residence. A man who identified himself as Raheem told them through a video doorbell that he was not at home. Days later agents learned he had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin. He was arrested in Benin on 15 April 2026 under an INTERPOL Red Notice and extradited to the United States last week. The transfer is only the second extradition from Benin to the United States in history.
A federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Raheem on 24 February 2026. He faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison on the fraud conspiracy count, 20 years on the money laundering conspiracy, and 10 years on the access device fraud counts, together with a mandatory two-year sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft.
Eletu was separately indicted in the Western District of Texas on 17 February 2026. He was later arrested in the United Kingdom, where extradition proceedings remain pending.
Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Texas Field Office said the fraud victimised hundreds of taxpayers and stole from the US Treasury. TIGTA Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Colello added that the investigation showed the authorities’ commitment to pursuing those who defraud the American public.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Pearce of the Northern District of Georgia and by attorneys from the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. It forms part of the department’s wider effort against fraud in federal benefit programmes.
By John James
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