Thursday, March 6, 2025 - A Nigerian national living in Mexico, Matthew A. Akande, has been extradited to the United States for his role in a scheme to break into Massachusetts tax preparation firms’ computer networks and to file fraudulent tax returns.
The US Department of Justice announced this in a statement released on
Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Akande, 36, was arrested in October 2024 at Heathrow Airport in the
United Kingdom at the request of the United States and extradited to the United
States on March 5, 2025.
He appeared in federal court in Boston today. Akande was indicted by a
federal grand jury in July 2022 with one count of conspiracy to obtain
unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud and to
commit theft of government money and money laundering; one count of wire fraud;
four counts of unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of
fraud; 13 counts of theft of government money; and 14 counts of aggravated
identity theft.
Co-conspirator, Kehinde H. Oyetunji, 33, a Nigerian national living in
North Dakota, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count of conspiracy to
obtain unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud and
to commit theft of government money and money laundering. Oyetunji’s sentencing
hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
Between in or about June 2016 and June 2021, Akande, Oyetunji and others
are alleged to have worked together to steal money from the United States
government using taxpayers’ personally identifiable information (PII) to file
fraudulent tax returns in the taxpayers’ names. In addition, between in or
about February 2020, the scheme involved stealing taxpayers’ PII from
Massachusetts tax preparation firms via phishing attacks and computer
intrusions.
To carry out the scheme, Akande is alleged to have caused fraudulent
phishing emails to be sent to five Massachusetts tax preparation firms.
The emails purported to be from a prospective client seeking the tax
preparation firms’ services but in truth were used to trick the firms into
downloading remote access trojan malicious software (RAT malware), including
malware known as Warzone RAT.
Akande allegedly used the RAT malware to obtain the PII and prior year
tax information of the tax preparation firms’ clients, which Akande then used
to cause fraudulent tax returns to be filed seeking refunds.
The tax returns directed that the fraudulent tax refunds be deposited in
bank accounts allegedly opened by Oyetunji and others. Once the refunds were
issued, Oyetunji and others withdrew the stolen money in cash in the United
States and then transferred a portion to third parties in Mexico, allegedly at
Akande’s direction, while keeping a portion for themselves.
In total, Akande and his coconspirators are alleged to have filed more
than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking over $8.1 million in fraudulent tax
refunds over approximately five years. They are alleged to have successfully
obtained over $1.3 million in fraudulent tax refunds.
The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in
prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the
gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in
prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the
gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.
The charge of unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance
of fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of
supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss,
whichever is greater.
The charge of theft of government money
provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised
release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is
greater.
The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory
sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence
imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the
gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.
Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the
U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a
sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in
Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas
Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s
Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated
with authorities in the United Kingdom to secure the extradition of Akande.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial &
Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The
defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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