The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to revoke the citizenship of a Nigerian, Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, over his involvement in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme.
According to a statement released by the department, Kazeem was convicted in 2018 on 19 counts, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.
Investigations revealed that the scheme began as early as 2012, when stolen personal information was used to file fraudulent tax returns in the United States. The case came to light after a victim in Medford, Oregon, reported that false federal and state tax returns had been filed using her family’s identity.
A probe by the Internal Revenue Service led to coordinated searches in Illinois, Maryland, and Georgia, where authorities recovered large sums of cash, prepaid debit cards, money orders, and electronic devices linked to the operation.
Officials identified Kazeem as the mastermind of the scheme, which involved over 259,000 stolen identities. He reportedly purchased more than 91,000 of these identities from a foreign hacker and distributed them among accomplices to file fraudulent tax returns between 2012 and 2015.
The department said Kazeem also trained and directed co-conspirators, including his younger brother, in bypassing IRS security systems by obtaining electronic filing PINs. In total, the group acquired more than 19,500 such PINs to access taxpayer records and divert refunds.
Authorities linked Kazeem to over 10,000 fraudulent tax filings, which sought more than $91 million in refunds, with over $11.6 million successfully obtained. Part of the proceeds was moved through thousands of wire transfers, including significant sums sent to Nigeria.
He allegedly used the funds to acquire properties in Maryland and attempted to finance a luxury hotel project in Lagos.
Kazeem was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $12 million in restitution. However, his sentence was later commuted by former US President Joe Biden, leading to his early release.
In the new civil action, the Justice Department argued that Kazeem’s criminal activities—both before and after his naturalisation—along with alleged concealment of his conduct, make his citizenship invalid.
The suit also claims he entered into a sham marriage to obtain permanent residency and later remarried, further breaching the conditions required for US citizenship.
The move comes amid renewed immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump, whose administration has intensified actions against immigrants involved in criminal activities.
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