Nigerian man Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu sentenced to 8 years for tax-preparer hacking and fake investment fraud
Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, 40, of Nigeria was sentenced to eight years in prison for schemes that hacked U.S. tax preparers via spearphishing and sold fake standby letter-of-credit investments, SDNY says.
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Source: justice.gov · published
What happened
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on 19 October 2026 that Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu, also known as 'Chukwuemeka Victor Eletuo' and 'So Kwan Leung', 40, of Nigeria, was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the superseding indictments, court filings and statements in court, beginning in at least 2019 he, co-conspirator Kinglsey Uchelue Utulu and other Nigeria-based conspirators used spearphishing emails to hack into U.S. tax preparation businesses in New York, Texas and other states, stealing tax and identifying information of at least about 800 customers. They used stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns seeking at least about $8.4 million in refunds, of which about $2.5 million was obtained, and to obtain about $819,000 in fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan payouts. Amachukwu also offered U.S. victims investments in purportedly valuable standby letters of credit while impersonating a wealthy overseas financier; the investments did not exist and the conspirators pocketed more than $7 million. He was ordered to pay $3,647,629.39 in restitution and forfeit $10,846,634.39.
How the schemes worked
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the hacking scheme began with spearphishing: targeted emails sent to staff at tax preparation businesses to obtain access to the firms' computer systems. Once inside, the conspirators took customers' tax and identifying information and used it, along with other stolen identities, to file fraudulent federal and state tax returns and Small Business Administration disaster-loan claims in victims' names.
The investment fraud worked differently. Amachukwu offered U.S. victims investments in standby letters of credit, a real banking instrument that he presented as valuable, while impersonating a wealthy overseas financier. The investments did not exist.
Case status
Amachukwu was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe after pleading guilty. In addition to the eight-year prison term, he was sentenced to one year of supervised release. The FBI investigated, and the case is handled by the office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.
Source
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, "Nigerian Man Sentenced To Eight Years For Hacking, Fraud, And Identity Theft Schemes" (19 October 2026).
Red flags
- Unexpected emails to a business with links or attachments asking staff to log in or open documents (spearphishing).
- A tax refund or IRS notice you didn't expect, or a return rejected because one was already filed in your name.
- Investment offers in 'standby letters of credit' or similar bank instruments promising large returns.
- A wealthy overseas financier you have never met offering exclusive deals.
If you were targeted
- 1Businesses: train staff to spot spearphishing, use multi-factor authentication and verify unusual requests by phone.
- 2If you suspect tax identity theft in the U.S., file IRS Form 14039 and get an IRS Identity Protection PIN.
- 3Check for loans or claims opened in your name and place a credit freeze with the credit bureaus.
- 4Be wary of investments in bank instruments offered by strangers; check with the SEC or your regulator first.
- 5Report fraud to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov.