Nigerian man sentenced to 8 years in prison for running phony tax refund scheme | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Matthew Akande was living in Mexico when he and at least four co-conspirators broke into the networks of tax preparation firms and filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking tax refunds.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/nigerian-matthew-akande-tax-refund-fraud\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigerian man sentenced to 8 years in prison for running phony tax refund scheme\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Matthew Akande was living in Mexico when he and at least four co-conspirators broke into the networks of tax preparation firms and filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking tax refunds.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" 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class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.095477386935\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"35.435517970402\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/nigerian-matthew-akande-tax-refund-fraud\/\"> <span>Cybercrime<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Matthew Akande was living in Mexico when he and at least four co-conspirators broke into the networks of tax preparation firms and filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking tax refunds. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/87822\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> The Department of Justice building in Washington, DC, on February 9, 2022. (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS\/AFP via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"24.952212389381\"><body readability=\"51.430472103004\"><\/p>\n<p>A 37-year-old Nigerian man was sentenced to eight years in prison for participating in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ma\/pr\/nigerian-man-sentenced-eight-years-prison-computer-intrusion-and-theft\">five-year cybercrime spree<\/a> to steal money from the U.S. government through fraudulent tax returns, the Justice Department said Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Abiodun Akande was living in Mexico when he and at least four co-conspirators broke into the networks of tax preparation firms, stole sensitive data on their clients and filed fraudulent tax returns, claiming tax refunds with victims\u2019 personal data, according to court records. <\/p>\n<p>Akande and his co-conspirators filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking more than $8.1 million in phony tax refunds during a five-year period ending in June 2021, prosecutors said. The crew collectively obtained more than $1.3 million in fraudulent tax refunds.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said Akande also advanced the scheme by sending phishing emails to five Massachusetts-based tax preparation firms that were designed to trick employees into downloading remote access trojan malware, including Warzone RAT. Four of those firms were listed as victims in the indictment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Akande has been in detention since he was arrested at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom in October 2024 and extradited to the United States in March 2025. A month later, Akande pleaded guilty to all 33 counts in the indictment prosecutors filed against him in July 2022.<\/p>\n<p>His crimes include conspiracy to obtain unauthorized access to protected computers, wire fraud, unauthorized access to protected computers, theft of government money, and aggravated identity theft.<\/p>\n<p>Akande and his alleged co-conspirators \u2014 Kehinde Hussein Oyetunji, a Nigerian national living in North Dakota, and two people that prosecutors declined to name \u2014 directed the fraudulent tax refunds to be deposited in U.S. bank accounts. Co-conspirators living in the United States withdrew some of the stolen money in cash then, at Akande\u2019s direction, transferred a portion of the funds to third parties in Mexico, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>In a sentencing memo submitted to the court, Akande\u2019s lawyer insisted his client was not living an extravagant lifestyle in Mexico. Yet, he was ordered to pay almost $1.4 million in restitution as part of his sentencing.<\/p>\n<p>You can read the full indictment below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.6255060728745\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Matt Kapko\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Matt Kapko<\/h4>\n<p> Matt Kapko is a reporter at CyberScoop. His beat includes cybercrime, ransomware, software defects and vulnerability (mis)management. The lifelong Californian started his journalism career in 2001 with previous stops at Cybersecurity Dive, CIO, SDxCentral and RCR Wireless News. 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{"id":8364,"date":"2026-02-18T17:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T23:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=87822"},"modified":"2026-02-18T17:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T23:47:14","slug":"nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/18\/nigerian-man-sentenced-to-8-years-in-prison-for-running-phony-tax-refund-scheme\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigerian man sentenced to 8 years in prison for running phony tax refund scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"