Three men were sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a tax refund fraud scheme, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.
Imafedia Adevokhai from Alpharetta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to money laundering and received a 46-month sentence. He was ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and $3,500 in forfeiture. Michael Martin from Texarkana, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to 18 months. He was ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and $121,623.41 in forfeiture. Osazuwa Peter Okunoghae from Houston pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and received a 78-month sentence. He was ordered to pay $451,117.63 in both restitution and forfeiture.
“The Eastern District of Texas is committed to prosecuting individuals who participate in schemes to steal personal information, prepare and file fraudulent tax returns, and launder the proceeds,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. He emphasized the broad impact of such crimes on victims of identity theft, taxpayers, and financial institutions.
“Adevokhai, Martin, and Okunoghae, along with others, created a complex scheme to steal the tax refunds of law-abiding U.S. taxpayers through stolen identity refund fraud,” said Christopher J. Altemus Jr., special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. He highlighted the efforts of IRS-CI agents in uncovering the fraud and bringing those responsible to justice.
Court information revealed a multi-year stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) conspiracy involving these individuals and others. They used stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns, alleging total refunds of nearly $4.95 million. The IRS suffered at least $390,220.40 in losses as a result. Adevokhai handled the filing of many fraudulent returns, while Okunoghae and Martin were involved in laundering funds through U.S. and foreign financial accounts. The investigation linked the defendants to dozens of identity theft victims.
This case, investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld and Sean Taylor, underscores the Department of Justice Tax Division’s commitment to addressing SIRF schemes that undermine the U.S. tax system.