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2nd Amendment Chat Room · CHARGED

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA — Nigerian Man Sent Back From Benin to Face Charges in $100 Million Stolen-Identity Tax Refund Sch

Akinade Adedeji Raheem, a 43-year-old Nigerian citizen who lived in Atlanta, appeared in federal court in Atlanta on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, after the West African country of Benin sent him back to the United States. Prosecutors say that from 2018 to 2023 he and a partner who lived in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, Abayomi Quadri Eletu, used the stolen names, addresses and Social Security numbers of American taxpayers and accountants to file more than 300 fake tax returns, asking the IRS (the U.S. tax agency) for more than $100 million in refunds. Raheem is charged with fraud, money laundering (hiding where criminal money came from) and identity theft. A judge ordered him held in jail. These are charges only; he has not been convicted.

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Date
October 26, 2026
Location
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia (federal court in Atlanta)
Victims
American taxpayers and tax professionals whose identities were stolen (names not released).
Suspect
Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, Nigerian citizen who lived in Atlanta (charged). Co-defendant: Abayomi Quadri Eletu, 42, of the United Kingdom and Nigeria (charged, arrested in the UK).
Stage
CHARGED

Last updated:

Timeline

  1. NEW CHARGED

    Update #2 — What Happened and How He Was Caught

    How the scheme worked: Prosecutors say that between 2018 and 2023, Raheem, who lived in Atlanta, worked with Abayomi Quadri Eletu, who lived in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, and others. They opened online accounts with the IRS, the U.S. tax agency, and used them to pull private information on accountants and ordinary taxpayers, including names, addresses and Social Security numbers. They changed taxpayers' addresses with the IRS, and asked the Postal Service to forward some people's mail, so tax letters went to addresses the group controlled. They then filed more than 300 fake tax returns in other people's names, asking for more than $100 million in refunds. When the IRS mailed letters to check that the taxpayers were real, group members pretended to be the taxpayers and told the IRS to release the money.

    Where the money went: Prosecutors say the refunds were split onto prepaid debit cards mailed to addresses the group controlled. Eletu allegedly told Raheem and others to get those cards. The money was then moved by buying money orders at post offices and stores in small amounts, kept low on purpose to avoid the reports banks and stores must file on large cash deals. The group used the money orders to buy used cars at online auctions, shipping some of them to Nigeria, and to buy designer clothing and other items.

    The victims: The people hurt were American taxpayers and tax professionals whose personal details were stolen and used without their knowledge. Their names have not been released, and officials have not said how much of the $100 million the IRS actually paid out.

    How he was caught: The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the watchdog that protects the tax system. A federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Raheem on Feb. 24, 2026. In April 2026, agents went to his Atlanta home to arrest him. A man who said he was Raheem spoke to them through a video doorbell and said he was not home. Less than a week later, agents learned he had booked a flight from Mexico City to Benin. When he landed in Benin on April 15, 2026, local police arrested him on an INTERPOL Red Notice, an international alert asking police worldwide to find and hold a wanted person. Benin sent him to the U.S. last week. Eletu was arrested in the United Kingdom at the request of the United States and is charged in Texas.

    What happens next: Raheem faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud (using phone, internet or mail to cheat people), one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, 14 counts of access device fraud (misusing card or account numbers) and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft. He could face up to 20 years in prison on the fraud charge, up to 20 years on money laundering, up to 10 years on access device fraud, plus a required 2 years for identity theft. No trial date has been made public. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

  2. CHARGED

    Update #1 — Sent Back From Benin and Held in Atlanta Jail

    Akinade Adedeji Raheem, 43, was arraigned in federal court in Atlanta on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. An arraignment is a first court hearing where the charges are read. Benin sent him to the United States last week, only the second time in history that Benin has handed someone over to the U.S. A judge ordered him kept in jail by the U.S. Marshals Service while the case moves forward. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta announced it on Oct. 27.

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