A Nigerian man residing in Mexico has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to a scheme involving computer intrusions and fraudulent tax filings. Matthew A. Akande, 36, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom in October 2024 at the request of U.S. authorities and arrived in the United States on March 5, 2025. He made an appearance in federal court in Boston following his extradition.
Akande faces multiple charges including conspiracy to obtain unauthorized access to protected computers, wire fraud, unauthorized access to computers for fraud purposes, theft of government money, and aggravated identity theft. These charges stem from a federal grand jury indictment issued in July 2022.
According to authorities, between June 2016 and June 2021, Akande collaborated with others including Kehinde H. Oyetunji—a co-conspirator who pleaded guilty in December 2022—to file fraudulent tax returns using stolen personal information from taxpayers. The scheme reportedly involved phishing attacks targeting Massachusetts tax preparation firms starting February 2020.
The investigation alleges that Akande sent deceptive emails containing malware to these firms under the guise of prospective clients seeking services. This malware allowed him access to clients' personal data and prior year tax information which he used for filing false tax returns. Refunds from these fraudulent filings were directed into bank accounts opened by Oyetunji and others who then withdrew the funds as cash within the U.S., transferring some of it abroad under Akande's direction.
Over five years, more than 1,000 fake tax returns were allegedly filed seeking over $8.1 million in refunds with $1.3 million successfully obtained.
Authorities urge businesses targeted by cyberattacks to report incidents through the Internet Crime Complaint Center website (www.ic3.gov) while taxpayers suspecting phishing attempts should forward emails to phishing@irs.gov.
Each charge against Akande carries potential penalties ranging from fines up to $250,000 or twice any financial gain or loss incurred along with prison sentences varying from two years for identity theft up to twenty years for wire fraud.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley along with FBI Special Agent Jodi Cohen and IRS Acting Special Agent Thomas Demeo announced these developments after coordination efforts led by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs facilitated Akande's extradition from the UK.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb is handling prosecution proceedings for this case where all allegations remain unproven until determined otherwise by due legal process.