A 37-year-old Nigerian national, Matthew Abiodun Akande, has been handed an eight-year prison sentence by a U.S. federal court for his involvement in a sophisticated cybercrime operation that defrauded the American government of over $1.3 million through fraudulent tax refunds. The scheme, which spanned five years, targeted tax preparation firms in Massachusetts, leading to the theft of sensitive personal data and the filing of more than 1,000 bogus tax returns.
Akande, who was residing in Mexico at the time of his activities, collaborated with at least four co-conspirators to hack into the computer networks of these firms. They stole personally identifiable information (PII) from unsuspecting taxpayers and used it to submit fraudulent claims, seeking refunds totaling over $8.1 million. The group successfully siphoned off more than $1.3 million before being caught.
The operation ran from around June 2016 to June 2021, involving tactics such as phishing, malware, and unauthorized access to protected computers. One named co-conspirator, Kehinde H. Oyetunji, a 33-year-old Nigerian living in North Dakota, was also implicated in the plot.
Akande was arrested in October 2024 at London's Heathrow Airport at the request of U.S. authorities and extradited to the United States on March 5, 2025. He appeared in federal court in Boston, where he pleaded guilty in April 2025 to 33 counts, including conspiracy to obtain unauthorized access to protected computers, wire fraud, theft of government money, and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani sentenced Akande on Tuesday to eight years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI Boston division in collaboration with IRS Criminal Investigation.
This conviction underscores the growing threat of international cyber fraud targeting U.S. financial systems, with Nigerian nationals often implicated in such schemes. Experts warn that these operations not only drain public funds but also erode trust in digital tax processes.