Extradited From Benin: Man Accused in Stolen-Identity Scheme Seeking $100 Million in Tax Refunds

Published Oct. 28, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

Most people find out about tax identity theft the hard way: they file their return and the IRS says one has already been filed in their name. Federal prosecutors in Atlanta say one alleged ring did that hundreds of times, filing more than 300 false returns that sought more than $100 million in refunds.

Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, of Nigeria, who prosecutors say lived in Atlanta, was arraigned on Oct. 26, 2026, on federal fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft charges after being extradited from Benin, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced on Oct. 27 [1]. Prosecutors say he worked with Abayomi Quadri Eletu, described as a resident of the United Kingdom and Nigeria, who is charged separately in Texas.

Important: These are allegations. Neither man has been convicted. As the U.S. Attorney's Office put it, "the indictments only contain charges," and both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty at trial [1].

How the scheme allegedly worked, step by step

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charges and other information presented in court, between 2018 and 2023 [1]:

1. Harvesting identities. Raheem, Eletu and others allegedly got sensitive information on tax professionals and taxpayers, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers, by creating online accounts with the IRS and requesting private taxpayer information.
2. Filing fake returns. Using the stolen identities of accountants and American taxpayers, they allegedly filed tax returns claiming fraudulent refunds, more than 300 returns seeking over $100 million in total.
3. Splitting the refunds. The returns allegedly told the IRS to split refunds among prepaid debit cards shipped to addresses the group controlled.
4. Laundering the money. Prosecutors say Raheem and Eletu bought money orders in amounts small enough to avoid reporting thresholds, then used them to buy used cars from auction sites, some shipped to Nigeria, as well as designer clothing and other items.

The release does not say how much the IRS actually paid out, and we don't estimate it here.

"Raheem and his co-conspirators allegedly obtained hundreds of stolen identities, filed fraudulent tax returns using that information, and laundered the proceeds through prepaid debit cards and purchases of used cars that were shipped to Nigeria and other locations," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg [1].

The flight to Benin

In April 2026, federal agents went to arrest Raheem at his home. A man who identified himself as Raheem through a video doorbell said he wasn't home, prosecutors said. Less than a week later, agents learned he had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin. When he landed there on April 15, 2026, local authorities arrested him on an INTERPOL Red Notice. Benin extradited him the week before his arraignment, which prosecutors described as only the second extradition from Benin to the United States in history [1].

The people charged and their status

Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, of Nigeria. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted him on Feb. 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. He was arraigned on Oct. 26, 2026, and is detained by the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings. The conspiracy and money laundering counts each carry up to 20 years, access device fraud up to 10 years, and aggravated identity theft a mandatory two years [1]. Any plea he entered at arraignment is not stated in the release.

Abayomi Quadri Eletu. Indicted in the Western District of Texas on Feb. 17, 2026. He was later arrested in the United Kingdom, where extradition proceedings are pending [1].

The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, according to the release.

Red flags that your identity is being used for taxes

• The IRS rejects your e-filed return because one has already been filed under your Social Security number.
• You get an IRS letter about a return you didn't file, a refund you didn't request, or income from an employer you never worked for.
• A prepaid debit card or refund arrives that you didn't expect.
• Your tax preparer tells you about a data breach or suspicious account activity. This scheme allegedly targeted tax professionals' identities too.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Get an Identity Protection PIN. "Protect your tax returns with an identity protection pin at IRS.gov," said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. [1]. An IP PIN is a six-digit number that stops anyone else from filing a return under your Social Security number.
2. Check your IRS online account at IRS.gov for returns or transcripts you don't recognize.
3. If a fake return was filed, follow the instructions in any IRS letter and file Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, if the IRS tells you to.
4. Report and recover at IdentityTheft.gov, and consider freezing your credit with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
5. Tax professionals: report suspected client data theft to the IRS and your state tax agency right away.
6. Report other scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Older adults can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.

Case status (as of Oct. 28, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, of Nigeria	U.S. District Court, N.D. Ga.	Indicted Feb. 24, 2026 (30 counts); extradited from Benin; arraigned Oct. 26, 2026; detained; presumed innocent	[1]
Abayomi Quadri Eletu	U.S. District Court, W.D. Tex.	Indicted Feb. 17, 2026; arrested in U.K.; extradition pending; presumed innocent	[1]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, "Nigerian Man Extradited from Benin to Face Federal Charges in $100 Million Stolen Identity Tax Scheme," Oct. 27, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/nigerian-man-extradited-benin-face-federal-charges-100-million-stolen-identity-tax

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