A Nigerian man, Matthew A. Akande, 36, has been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States to face charges related to a multi-million dollar tax fraud scheme.
Akande, who was living in Mexico, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in October 2024 at the request of U.S. authorities. He arrived in the U.S. on March 5, 2025, and appeared before a federal court in Boston.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Akande was indicted in July 2022 on multiple charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud, theft of government funds, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. His alleged co-conspirator, Kehinde H. Oyetunji, 33, a Nigerian residing in North Dakota, pleaded guilty in December 2022.
Authorities claim that between 2016 and 2021, Akande and others used phishing attacks and malware to steal taxpayer data from tax preparation firms in Massachusetts. They allegedly filed over 1,000 fraudulent tax returns, attempting to claim $8.1 million in refunds and successfully obtaining $1.3 million.
The stolen funds were reportedly withdrawn and transferred to Mexico under Akande’s direction. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud, along with additional penalties for other charges.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, FBI Special Agent Jodi Cohen, and IRS Special Agent Thomas Demeo. Investigations are ongoing, and sentencing for Oyetunji has yet to be scheduled.