Nigerian National Matthew Akande Sentenced to Eight Years in U.S. Tax Fraud Case
A U.S. District Court in Boston has sentenced Matthew Akande, a 37‑year‑old Nigerian national, to eight years in prison for his role in a sophisticated tax fraud scheme. He was also ordered to pay $1.39 million in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his jail term.
Akande was extradited from the United Kingdom in March 2025 after his arrest at Heathrow Airport in October 2024. Federal prosecutors accused him of stealing taxpayer information and filing fraudulent tax returns targeting Massachusetts tax preparation firms.
Between 2016 and 2021, Akande and his accomplices used phishing emails and malware, including Warzone RAT, to compromise tax firms’ computer networks. They filed over 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking more than $8.1 million, with portions of the refunds diverted to Mexico under Akande’s direction.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI, and IRS coordinated the investigation, recovering more than $1.3 million in stolen refunds. The DOJ’s Office of International Affairs worked with U.K. authorities to secure Akande’s extradition, while Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb prosecuted the case.
Akande was indicted in July 2022 on charges of conspiracy to access protected computers, wire fraud, theft of government money, and aggravated identity theft. His sentencing underscores the growing trend of Nigerian nationals facing extradition and prosecution in the United States for cybercrime and fraud.
Other related cases include Kehinde H. Oyetunji, who pleaded guilty in December 2022 to conspiracy and theft of government money, and Afeez Olatunji Adewale, extradited from Nigeria in February 2026 over sexual extortion and financial crimes in Pennsylvania. In September 2025, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju was arrested in the U.K. following a U.S. extradition request for allegedly defrauding a Pennsylvania university of over $235,000.
