US DOJ seeks Nigerian citizenship revocation for Emmanuel Kazeem over $11m tax fraud and identity theft scheme affecting 259,000 victims

The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to revoke the citizenship of Nigerian national Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, who was jailed in 2018 for orchestrating an $11 million fraud scheme targeting federal and state tax systems.

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Emmanuel Kazeem was convicted on 19 counts, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

Investigations revealed that the scheme involved stolen personal information from more than 259,000 victims, purchased largely from a Vietnamese hacker with access to a US company’s database.

According to the DoJ, Kazeem trained and directed co-conspirators, including his brother Michael Oluwasegun Kazeem, to obtain thousands of electronic filing PINs to bypass IRS authentication.

The conspirators filed 10,139 fraudulent federal tax returns, attempting to obtain over $91 million in refunds, successfully receiving more than $11.6 million.

Over 700 wire transfers, amounting to over $690,000, were directly linked to Emmanuel Kazeem and sent to Nigeria.

Authorities seized evidence during multiple search warrants executed in Illinois, Maryland, and Georgia, including over 50 electronic devices, $14,000 in cash, thousands in prepaid debit cards, and $50,000 in money orders.

Kazeem used the proceeds to make a $200,000 down payment on a Maryland home, purchase a $175,000 townhouse, and attempted a $6 million hotel project in Lagos.

The lawsuit alleges that Kazeem’s fraudulent conduct, both before and after naturalisation, and his concealment of crimes, disqualified him from lawful US citizenship.

The complaint also states that he engaged in a sham marriage to obtain permanent residency and later married a second woman, further undermining the legality of his naturalisation.

Emmanuel Kazeem was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2018 and ordered to pay over $12 million in restitution.

His sentence was later commuted, and he was released under the administration of former President Joe Biden.

The DoJ’s action comes amid renewed enforcement efforts under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has emphasized stricter scrutiny of criminal migrants and deportation measures.

Also read: Nigerian man sentenced to prison for sexual assaults on UK trains

The case highlights ongoing US efforts to address fraud, identity theft, and naturalisation violations, particularly when foreign nationals are involved in large-scale financial crimes.