Matthew A. Akande, a 36-year-old Nigerian living in Mexico, was extradited to the United States to face charges of orchestrating a sprawling tax fraud scheme targeting Massachusetts tax firms. Arrested in October 2024 at Heathrow Airport, U.K., at the behest of U.S. authorities, Akande landed in Boston and appeared in federal court on Wednesday, March 06. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges he masterminded a conspiracy that siphoned over $1.3 million through fraudulent tax returns, with potential refunds topping $8.1 million.
Indicted in July 2022, Akande faces a slew of charges: conspiracy, wire fraud, theft of government funds, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. His co-conspirator, Kehinde H. Oyetunji, 33, a Nigerian in North Dakota, pleaded guilty in December 2022, leaving Akande to answer solo. The DOJ claims that from 2016 to 2021, Akande and his crew deployed phishing attacks and malware to infiltrate tax preparation firms, stealing taxpayer data. They filed over 1,000 bogus returns, pocketing $1.3 million once refunds hit, with Oyetunji and others funneling chunks to Mexico under Akande’s orders.
If convicted, Akande stares down a 20-year sentence for wire fraud alone, with added penalties looming for the rest. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, FBI Special Agent Jodi Cohen, and IRS Special Agent Thomas Demeo trumpeted the extradition as a win against transnational crime. “This sends a message—cross borders, we’ll still get you,” their joint statement implied. No sentencing date’s set, but the courtroom showdown promises high stakes.
This lands as Nigeria grapples with domestic turmoil. Edo State just razed kidnappers’ hideouts, netting a gang that scored N10 million ransoming a luxury-car owner. Rivers‘ militants threaten oil over budget freezes, while NAF personnel battered Ikeja Electric staff over a blackout. Akande’s case flips the script—Nigeria’s not just a victim but a launchpad for global scams. His Mexico base and U.K. nab weave a web far beyond Lagos, echoing the PDP‘s plea for discipline amid “subversive” chaos.
X buzzes with takes. “From phishing to prison—Akande’s cooked,” one user quipped. Another jabbed, “$1.3M? Nigeria’s exporting more than oil now.” The scheme’s sophistication—malware, identity theft, cross-border cash flows—mirrors Nigeria’s street-level grit, like Edo’s car-targeting kidnappers. Yet where Okpebholo bulldozes locally, the U.S. flexes extradition muscle globally, snaring Akande after years on the run.
At 10:45 AM GMT, March 07, 2025, Akande’s Boston debut marks a reckoning. Oyetunji’s guilty plea tightens the noose—will Akande flip or fight? The $8.1 million chase underscores a digital underworld thriving amid Nigeria’s physical unrest—Senate defiance, militant threats, military rampages. Foley’s team vows justice, but X wonders: “How many more Akandes are out there?” Nigeria’s diaspora crime wave meets U.S. resolve—$1.3 million’s just the start. This isn’t Edo’s rubble; it’s a transatlantic takedown, and the world‘s watching.
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