A U.S. court has sentenced Imafedia Adevokhai, a 47-year-old Nigerian, to 46 months in prison for his role in a multi-year identity theft and tax refund fraud operation totaling $4.9 million. The sentence was confirmed in a statement from the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Abe McGlothin Jr., obtained by PUNCH Metro.
Adevokhai, along with two other Nigerian nationals residing in the U.S., Michael Martin and Osazuwa Okunoghae, orchestrated the fraudulent scheme by stealing American citizens’ personal information and submitting false tax returns. Adevokhai was responsible for preparing and filing the bogus returns, while Martin and Okunoghae facilitated the laundering of the illicit proceeds.
The fraudulent tax claims amounted to nearly $5 million, resulting in a loss of over $390,000 to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service. The trio used U.S. financial institutions to transfer the stolen funds overseas.
Adevokhai pleaded guilty to money laundering on February 15, 2023, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III on April 2, 2025. In addition to his prison sentence, Adevokhai was ordered to pay restitution of $90,380.60 and forfeit $3,500.
Martin and Okunoghae had already been sentenced for their roles in the scam. Martin, 52, of Texarkana, Texas, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy on February 14, 2023. Okunoghae, 46, of Houston, received a 78-month sentence after pleading guilty to money laundering in November 2019.
McGlothin reaffirmed the U.S. government’s dedication to prosecuting those involved in fraud schemes, emphasizing that such crimes harm not only the victims whose identities are stolen but also taxpayers and financial institutions.
