Two Nigerian nationals are facing separate federal criminal proceedings in the United States over alleged financial crimes involving more than $100 million in fraudulent tax refund claims and multimillion-dollar money laundering schemes targeting elderly Americans.
Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, was extradited from Benin to the United States last week to face charges over an alleged identity theft tax fraud scheme, while Adetunji Abudu, 34, was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport on Monday night, October 26, after returning from Istanbul, Turkey.
The two cases, announced by separate US attorney's offices, involve allegations of financial fraud, identity theft and the movement of illicit proceeds through financial accounts, prepaid debit cards, money orders, vehicle purchases and international shipments.
Raheem was arraigned on Monday in a federal court in the Northern District of Georgia and ordered detained pending further proceedings. Abudu, who is accused of participating in a money laundering conspiracy involving fraud schemes operated from Nigeria, also appeared before a federal court in Rhode Island and was ordered detained pending trial.
The cases underscore continuing efforts by US law enforcement agencies to investigate alleged financial crimes with international links and bring suspects living outside the country before American courts.
Alleged $100m tax refund fraud
According to the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Raheem and his alleged co-conspirators filed more than 300 fraudulent tax returns between 2018 and 2023, seeking refunds exceeding $100 million from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Prosecutors alleged that the group obtained the identities of American taxpayers and tax professionals and used the information to submit fraudulent tax returns in their names.
The alleged scheme also involved creating online accounts with the IRS to obtain sensitive taxpayer information, including names, residential addresses and Social Security numbers.
Court documents identified Abayomi Quadri Eletu, a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, as one of Raheem's alleged collaborators. The pair reportedly worked with other unidentified individuals to obtain personal information and redirect tax refunds to prepaid debit cards sent to addresses under their control.
Investigators alleged that Raheem and Eletu subsequently laundered some of the proceeds by purchasing money orders in amounts deliberately kept below reporting thresholds.
The money orders were allegedly used to purchase used vehicles through auction platforms, with some of the cars shipped to Nigeria and other destinations. Part of the proceeds was also allegedly spent on designer clothing and other high-value items.
US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said the alleged fraud involved hundreds of stolen identities and substantial sums channelled through prepaid cards and vehicle purchases.
“The scope of the alleged fraud is staggering,” Hertzberg said, adding that Raheem's extradition demonstrated the commitment of US authorities and their international partners to pursuing suspects beyond American borders.
Christopher J. Altemus Jr., special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation's Texas Field Office, said the alleged scheme victimised hundreds of taxpayers and deprived the US Treasury of funds intended to support public programmes.
Anthony Colello, special agent in charge of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, also said the investigation reflected the determination of law enforcement agencies to identify, apprehend and prosecute individuals accused of defrauding the American public.
How Raheem was tracked down
Raheem's extradition followed an international operation that began in April 2026, when federal agents attempted to arrest him at his residence in the United States.
According to prosecutors, agents communicated through a video doorbell with a man who identified himself as Raheem and said he was not at home.
Less than a week later, investigators learnt that Raheem had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin.
He arrived in the West African country on April 15, 2026, and was arrested by local authorities pursuant to an INTERPOL Red Notice.
Beninese authorities subsequently extradited him to the United States last week. The US Attorney's Office described the transfer as only the second extradition from Benin to the United States in history.
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Raheem on February 24, 2026, on 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 convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, another maximum of 20 years for money laundering and up to 10 years for access device fraud. The aggravated identity theft charges carry a mandatory two-year prison sentence.
Eletu was separately indicted in the Western District of Texas on February 17, 2026. He was later arrested in the United Kingdom, where extradition proceedings are pending.
Abudu arrested after returning from Turkey
In a separate case, Abudu was arrested on Monday night at Boston Logan International Airport while attempting to re-enter the United States from Istanbul.
The US Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island said the 34-year-old was among six defendants named in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Providence over an alleged conspiracy to launder millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes operated from Nigeria.
According to prosecutors, the schemes targeted primarily elderly Americans through online romance scams, fraudulent sweepstakes, fake rental listings and sham online shipping transactions.
The indictment alleged that money obtained from victims was channelled through bank accounts and businesses in Rhode Island, Idaho and other locations before significant proceeds were transferred to Nigeria.
Members of the alleged conspiracy were also accused of purchasing vehicles with money generated by the fraudulent activities and shipping them overseas.
Authorities said Abudu fled the United States for Nigeria in 2019 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a court-authorised search of his residence in North Providence.
His arrest at Logan Airport brought him back into US custody to face the allegations.
Five other defendants named in the case — Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintol, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba and Oladipup Shodipu — have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to the US Attorney's Office, the defendants have received prison sentences ranging from time served to 42 months.
Assistant US Attorney John P. McAdams is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the US Postal Inspection Service and police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho.
International cooperation in focus
The two cases highlight the role of international cooperation in investigating alleged financial crimes involving multiple jurisdictions.
Raheem's case involved the IRS Criminal Investigation, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, INTERPOL and authorities in Benin and the United Kingdom.
The investigation into Abudu and his alleged co-conspirators involved the FBI and other US law enforcement agencies, with prosecutors alleging that proceeds from fraudulent activities were moved through accounts and businesses in several states before being transferred overseas.
Both cases also involve allegations that proceeds were used to acquire vehicles for shipment abroad, illustrating a common feature of the alleged schemes: converting money obtained through fraud into assets that could be moved across borders.
However, the cases remain legally distinct, and the allegations against the defendants have not been established in court.
Assistant US Attorney Brian Pearce, Senior Litigation Counsel Michael C. Boteler and Trial Attorney Michael Jones of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division are prosecuting the case against Raheem.
The US authorities have emphasised that indictments contain allegations, not findings of guilt. Raheem, Eletu and Abudu are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
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