A Nigerian national accused of helping embezzle more than $100 million in US tax refunds was arrested in Cotonou and later extradited to the United States. Akinade Adedeji was pursued over alleged involvement in a criminal network that used identity theft to file fraudulent claims. Investigators said the scheme involved stolen personal information and the creation of online accounts with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The network, according to the case described by Beninese media, allegedly exploited confidential taxpayer and tax professional data, including names, addresses and social security numbers. Fraudulent refunds were then transferred to prepaid debit cards, before the money was laundered through money orders. Prosecutors allege that part of the proceeds funded a lavish lifestyle, including designer clothing and used vehicles shipped to Nigeria and other destinations. Adedeji was indicted on February 24, 2026, in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia. The US Department of Justice charged him with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, fourteen counts of access device fraud and fourteen counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, the charges carry severe penalties, including up to twenty years for each of the two conspiracy counts, ten years for each access device fraud count, and a mandatory two-year sentence for each proven aggravated identity theft count. The matter also involves another Nigerian national, Abayomi Quadri Eletu, who was indicted separately in the Western District of Texas. He was arrested in the United Kingdom and remains subject to an extradition process under review by British authorities.