Three men — two Nigerian nationals and one Texan — have been sentenced to federal prison for taking part in a $4.9 million U.S. tax refund fraud scheme. The fraud used stolen identities to file fake tax returns and involved moving money through banks in the U.S. and abroad to hide where it came from.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Imafedia Adevokhai, 47, from Georgia; Osazuwa Peter Okunoghae, 46, from Houston; and Michael Martin, 52, from Texarkana, Texas, all pleaded guilty.
Adevokhai was sentenced to nearly 4 years (46 months) in prison and must repay over $90,000. Okunoghae got the longest sentence — 6 and a half years (78 months) — and must pay back more than $450,000. Martin, the American, got 18 months in prison and was ordered to repay over $200,000.
According to investigators, the group used personal details stolen from victims to file fake tax returns worth almost $5 million. The IRS confirmed that the U.S. government lost over $390,000 due to the scam.
Officials said Adevokhai mainly handled filing the fake returns, while Okunoghae and Martin worked on moving the money to avoid getting caught. The case was part of a larger investigation that began in 2019 and involved people in multiple states and Nigeria.
IRS agents tracked the fraud by following the money through several U.S. and foreign bank accounts. The agency warned others that similar crimes will be punished.
Authorities said fighting tax scams like this is a top priority because they cost the U.S. billions and hurt honest taxpayers.
