A Nigerian citizen, Onomen Uduebor, also known as Onomen Onohi, was sentenced to 40 months in prison by a U.S. District Court in Seattle for his involvement in a scheme to steal identities and claim tax refunds. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced the sentencing after Uduebor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. District Judge James L. Robart commented on the case during the sentencing hearing, stating, “He freely participated in the fraud and had a substantial role in the scheme. Thirty years old is not a young man and he ought to have known better.”
The fraudulent activities involved deceiving companies across the United States into providing W-2 information of their employees. This was done by sending emails that appeared to come from company executives requesting such data from Human Resources departments. Acting U.S. Attorney Miller explained, “This conduct damaged companies, employees, and the Internal Revenue Service.”
The indictment detailed that between February 2016 and April 2017, more than 300 fake tax returns were filed claiming over $1 million in refunds using stolen W-2 information. Uduebor admitted responsibility for filing 150 false returns and managing funds through accounts set up under victims’ names.
Despite receiving approximately $140,000 from these fraudulent claims, Uduebor stated he personally received only $10,000. The IRS managed to recover some of the funds, with restitution owed amounting to $122,720.
Assistant United States Attorney Miriam Hinman emphasized the impact of this crime on individuals and entities affected: “Taxpayers had trouble filing their real tax returns…sometimes causing problems for taxpayers who relied on receiving the refund funds.”
In court statements, Uduebor expressed remorse saying he read victim impact statements and acknowledged an apology was insufficient: “I was desperate to succeed in my music career. It is not an excuse, but it is the truth.”
Uduebor’s arrest occurred in September 2023 in the United Kingdom; he was extradited to the United States by March 2025 where he pleaded guilty shortly thereafter. Deportation back to Nigeria is expected following his imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Miriam Hinman. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs aided significantly with extradition procedures.
