Nigerian jailed in US for $4.9m tax fraud

Godsent Ogbebor

Nigerian jailed in US for $4.9m tax fraud

A U.S. court has sentenced a 47-year-old Nigerian man, Imafedia Adevokhai, to 46 months in prison for his role in a stolen identity tax fraud scheme that led to nearly $5 million in fraudulent refund claims.

Adevokhai, who resides in Alpharetta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to money laundering in February 2023 and was sentenced on April 2, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III.

He was also ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and forfeit an additional $3,500.

According to a statement from the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Abe McGlothin Jr., Adevokhai worked alongside two other Nigerians based in the U.S.—Michael Martin and Osazuwa Okunoghae; in a long-running conspiracy that involved stealing personal information from U.S. citizens to file fake tax returns.

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While Adevokhai was mainly responsible for preparing and submitting the fraudulent tax filings, Martin and Okunoghae handled the laundering of the stolen funds.

The group funneled the fraud proceeds through American banks and into foreign accounts.

Authorities said the total fraudulent claims reached $4,945,886, with actual losses to the U.S. Treasury estimated at over $390,000.

Martin, 52, of Texarkana, Texas, had earlier been sentenced to 18 months in prison in November 2023. He was also ordered to repay over $90,000 and forfeit more than $121,000.

Okunoghae, 46, of Houston, received a 78-month sentence in January 2022 and was ordered to pay and forfeit over $451,000.

McGlothin stressed the broader impact of the crime, stating it affected not only individual identity theft victims but also taxpayers and financial institutions.