A 40-year-old Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Amachukwu, has been sentenced to eight years in prison in the United States for his role in hacking, identity theft and fraud schemes involving millions of dollars.
Amachukwu, also known by the names Chukwuemeka Victor Eletuo and So Kwan Leung, was sentenced by US District Judge Paul G. Gardephe, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
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He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Prosecutors said Amachukwu and his co-conspirators, including Kingsley Uchelue Utulu, began hacking US tax preparation businesses in 2019 through spear-phishing emails.
The group allegedly used the emails to gain unauthorised access to the companies’ electronic systems and steal sensitive tax and personal information belonging to about 800 customers across New York, Texas and other states.
The stolen identities were subsequently used to file fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.
According to prosecutors, the conspirators sought refunds totalling at least $8.4 million and successfully obtained at least $2.5 million.
They also allegedly used the stolen identities to submit fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan programme.
The scheme resulted in the conspirators obtaining at least $819,000 in illicit payments, the US authorities said.
In a separate fraud scheme, Amachukwu allegedly offered victims investments in purportedly valuable standby letters of credit.
He reportedly impersonated a wealthy foreign financier to convince victims that the investment opportunities were legitimate.
However, the purported investments did not exist, and Amachukwu and his co-conspirators obtained more than $7 million through the scheme, according to prosecutors.
US Attorney Jamie McDonald said Amachukwu appeared to believe he could carry out the schemes without facing consequences from American authorities.
“Amachukwu took part in sophisticated schemes to hack into U.S. businesses, steal and use stolen identity information of victims, and commit fraud,” McDonald said.
The prosecutor said the crimes caused significant harm to victims and the public, making a substantial sentence appropriate.
In addition to the eight-year prison term, Amachukwu was sentenced to one year of supervised release.
He was also ordered to pay $3,647,629.39 in restitution and forfeit $10,846,634.39.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted with the investigation, while Assistant US Attorney Daniel G. Nessim handled the prosecution.
Mariam Balogun is a contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
