Court Jails Man 2 Years Over $1.6m US Tax Fraud

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced a fraudster, Adekunle Aderibigbe to two years imprisonment for retention of proceeds of criminal conduct

Justice Taiwo also ordered Aderibigbe to restitute the sum of N8 million to the victims of the crime, while discharging and acquitting him on the offence of impersonation.

The convict was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that he was a member of a syndicate operating in the United States, that specialises in the stealing of US citizens’ data to obtain fraudulent tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The FBI, in the July 10, 2020 report, alleged that the convict along with other members of the syndicate perpetrated the fraud through the help of one Curtis Betley, who is serving a jail term in the US.

The bureau had also claimed that the syndicate engaged in stealing the identities of American citizens and using the same to file over 255 fraudulent tax fund returns with the IRS making over $1.6million.

The EFCC later arraigned the convict on an amended five-count charge on August 5, 2020.

Aderibigbe was charged with offences bordering on retention of proceeds of criminal conduct contrary to Section 17 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act 2004, and impersonation, contrary to Section 378 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.