The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to revoke the citizenship of a Nigerian national, Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, following his conviction in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme.
According to a statement released by the Department, Kazeem was previously convicted on 19 counts, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2018 and ordered to pay over $12 million in restitution.
The case dates back to 2013, when a victim in Medford, Oregon, alerted the Internal Revenue Service to fraudulent tax returns filed using her family’s personal information. An investigation by the Internal Revenue Service uncovered a widespread identity theft operation linked to Kazeem and his associates.
Authorities executed search warrants across multiple states, including Illinois, Maryland, and Georgia, where they recovered prepaid debit cards, cash, money orders, and electronic devices tied to fraudulent tax refunds. Investigators identified Kazeem as the leader of the scheme.
The Department of Justice said the syndicate possessed stolen personal data of more than 259,000 victims, with over 91,000 identities allegedly purchased from a foreign hacker. The stolen information was used to file fraudulent tax returns between 2012 and 2015.
In total, Kazeem was linked to more than 10,000 false tax filings that sought over $91 million in refunds, with approximately $11.6 million successfully obtained. A portion of the proceeds was reportedly transferred to Nigeria through thousands of wire transactions.
Prosecutors further alleged that Kazeem trained co-conspirators, including his younger brother, to exploit stolen identities and bypass IRS security systems by generating electronic filing PINs.
Court documents also revealed that he used illicit funds to acquire properties in Maryland, including a newly constructed home and a townhouse. He was also said to have attempted to invest in a multi-million-dollar hotel project in Lagos.
Before his arrest in 2015, Kazeem allegedly transferred ownership of some assets to relatives in Nigeria at nominal prices.
Although he was sentenced in 2018, his prison term was later commuted by former US President Joe Biden, leading to his early release.
In the new lawsuit, the Justice Department argued that Kazeem’s actions, both before and after his naturalisation, disqualify him from retaining US citizenship. It also alleged that he concealed key facts during his application process.
“The complaint alleges that Kazeem’s fraud scheme, along with the concealment of his crimes, precluded him from obtaining citizenship lawfully,” the Department stated.
Prosecutors further claimed that Kazeem entered into a sham marriage to secure permanent residency and later remarried, actions they say violate US immigration laws.