Mexico-Based Nigerian Jailed Eight Years for $1.3m U.S. Tax Fraud Scheme

A Nigerian man living in Mexico has been sentenced to eight years in a United States federal prison after being found guilty of defrauding the U.S. government of more than $1.3 million.

Matthew A. Akande, 37, was convicted for his role in a large-scale tax fraud operation that involved stealing personal information from American taxpayers and using it to submit fake tax returns. The fraudulent refunds were then paid out by the U.S. government.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday, Akande and his accomplices submitted over 1,000 false tax returns within a five-year period. The group attempted to claim more than $8.1 million in refunds and successfully received over $1.3 million.

Akande was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani at a federal court in Boston. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered him to pay $1,393,230 in restitution.

He was initially arrested in October 2024 at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom. Following legal proceedings, he was extradited to the United States on March 5, 2025, to face trial.

Court documents show that a federal grand jury indicted Akande in July 2022 on multiple charges. These included conspiracy to gain unauthorised access to protected computer systems to commit fraud, theft of government funds, money laundering, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Investigators said the scheme involved targeting tax preparation firms in Massachusetts. Akande and his associates allegedly sent phishing emails disguised as enquiries from potential clients. The messages were designed to trick the firms into downloading malicious software known as remote access trojan malware, including a variant called Warzone RAT.

Once the malware was installed, the attackers were able to access sensitive client data, including personal identification details and previous tax records. That information was then used to file fraudulent tax returns in the victims’ names in order to claim refunds.

After the refunds were issued, members of the conspiracy in the United States reportedly withdrew the funds in cash. A portion of the money was then sent to contacts in Mexico under Akande’s direction, while others involved kept a share for themselves.

U.S. authorities described the case as part of ongoing efforts to combat identity theft and cyber-enabled financial crimes targeting government systems and private businesses.