A cyber fraudster from Oyo State in Nigeria, Bamidele Muraina, has been jailed by the United States (US) government for hacking into tax firms’ database, filing tax returns worth $2.8million.
Muraina was also accused of defrauding 50 Washington residents over a one-week span, $280,000 in unemployment benefits.
A statement issued by the Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia, stated that Muraina was sentenced to five years and 10 months’ imprisonment, to be served at the Federal Prison in Atlanta.
The 35-year-old was tried before U.S. District Judge William Ray II, who also ordered him to pay $561,125.62 in restitution.
Muraina, alongside one Gabriel Kalembo, a previously convicted fraudster, was said to have used stolen personal identifiable information and laundered fraudulent assets.
“These defendants stole funds from programmes meant to assist American workers and families seeking to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“The collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners were essential to disrupting a sophisticated network of criminals and bringing their leaders to justice,” said acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine.
He added, ” Muraina obtained access to the firms’ accounts (Brunswick, Georgia-based accounting firm) with a national tax preparation program, stole personally identifiable information from their clients, and filed more than 275 fraudulent individual income tax returns in their names via the Internet.
“In total, Muraina’s fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities sought refunds from the IRS exceeding $2.6 million from 2018 through 2020.
