Nigerian sentenced to 40 months in US prison for $1m tax fraud scheme
Onomen Uduebor, a Nigerian nationwide, has been sentenced to 40 months in a United States federal penitentiary for his involvement in a astronomical-scale tax fraud blueprint.
Uduebor, additionally is known as Onomen Onohi, acknowledged that his prison actions bask in been driven by a desperate attempt to reach the tune enterprise.
In step with an announcement launched Tuesday by the U.S. Division of Justice, Uduebor, 39, became as soon as arrested in the United Kingdom in September 2023 and extradited to the U.S. in March 2025.
He pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In court, Uduebor expressed feel sorry about, pointing out, “I bask in read the sufferer affect statements, and I do know an apology is no longer enough…. I became as soon as desirous to reach my tune occupation. It is no longer an excuse, but it no doubt is the fact.”
The indictment printed that between February 2016 and April 2017, Uduebor and co-conspirators regular counterfeit emails impersonating firm executives to deceive human sources departments into releasing employees’ W-2 tax paperwork.
The neighborhood then regular the stolen files to file bigger than 300 counterfeit tax returns, seeking over $1 million in refunds from the Interior Income Provider (IRS).
Uduebor personally filed 150 of these counterfeit returns and monitored the drift of funds into bank accounts opened below the victims’ names. Whereas a variety of the counterfeit claims bask in been blocked by the IRS, roughly $140,000 became as soon as paid out. Uduebor admitted to receiving $10,000 from the blueprint and became as soon as ordered to forfeit that quantity and pay $122,720 in restitution to the U.S. Treasury.
The Division of Justice assertion popular, “Whereas the IRS paid out about $140,000 to the fraudsters, Uduebor says he got completely $10,000 from the blueprint. The IRS became as soon as in a position to preserve some of the a compensation from the conspirators, so the complete restitution owed to the U.S. Treasury became as soon as $122,720.”
At sentencing, U.S. District Rob James L. Robart described Uduebor’s role as necessary, pointing out, “He freely participated in the fraud and had a terrific role in the blueprint. Thirty years regular is no longer a younger man, and he must always bask in known better.”
Following his penitentiary term, Uduebor is anticipated to be deported to Nigeria.
