FBI charges illegal Nigerian immigrant in US with identity theft, fraud
A Nigerian national living in Smyrna, Georgia, Olukayode Ibrahim Lawal has been charged with fraud and identity theft crimes in the United States.
Lawal, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), engaged in a scheme in which he obtained the personal identifying information of school employees in Connecticut and elsewhere.
The 35-year-old was arrested on a federal criminal complaint at his residence on May 9, 2018.
The FBI said in a statement that its special agents had been investigating “phishing” emails that were sent to various school districts in Connecticut last year.
“In March 2017, an employee of the Groton Public Schools received an email that appeared to be sent by another Groton school system employee,” it said.
“The email contained a request to send W-2 tax information for all employees of the school system. The recipient of the email responded by sending copies of the W-2 information for approximately 1,300 Groton Public Schools employees.
“After the W-2 information was emailed, approximately 100 suspicious Forms 1040 were filed electronically with the IRS in the names of victims of the Groton phishing scheme. The 100 tax returns claimed tax refunds totaling $491,737. Approximately three of the returns were processed, and $23,543 in fraudulently-obtained funds were electronically deposited into various bank accounts.”
Lawal allegedly controlled or used certain email accounts involved in this phishing scheme. Findings show he participated in the scheme to obtain the Groton school system employees’ personal identifying information and use it for personal gain.
Lawal, if found guilty of one count charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud, faces a 20-year jail term. He also faces another 2-year imprisonment over one count charge of aggravated identity theft.
Further findings by the FBI revealed that Lawal entered the U.S. on a visitor’s visa on November 24, 2016, and failed to depart on his scheduled departure date of December 1, 2016.
This matter is still being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.
The case which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarala V. Nagala and Stephen B. Reynolds, is before United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, John H. Durham.
