BOSTON, MA — Matthew A. Akande, 36, a Nigerian national living in Mexico, has been extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with a scheme to hack into tax preparation firms and file fraudulent tax returns. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced Akande’s extradition on March 5, following his arrest at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom in October 2024.
Akande and his co-defendant, Kehinde H. Oyetunji, 33, a Nigerian national residing in North Dakota, are accused of orchestrating the fraud between June 2016 and June 2021. The scheme targeted Massachusetts tax preparation firms through phishing emails and computer intrusions, which allowed the criminals to steal personal taxpayer information.
From February 2020 to June 2021, Akande allegedly sent fraudulent emails to tax firms, posing as a potential client. These emails contained malware that granted him access to sensitive client data. With this stolen information, Akande and his accomplices filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns, seeking over $8.1 million in refunds.
The refunds were then redirected to bank accounts controlled by Oyetunji and others. Oyetunji reportedly withdrew the funds in the U.S. and transferred portions of the money to third parties in Mexico. The conspirators successfully obtained over $1.3 million in illicit tax refunds before being caught.
Akande appeared in federal court in Boston on March 5, 2025, and faces charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and identity theft, among other offenses. His extradition highlights the continuing efforts of U.S. authorities to dismantle international fraud schemes that prey on taxpayers.
