A Nigerian musician living in St. Louis pleaded guilty
to stealing tax refunds last year and was sentenced to over three years
in federal prison on Thursday, April 21.
According
to investigators, 29-year-old Olufunso Adesina, a guitarist tried to
steal more than $3 million in fake tax refunds but many didn't go
through. He ended up collecting nearly $800,000 from more than 50
refunds by filing false tax returns under other people’s names.
In November 2015, the U.S. Attorney's office in St. Louis announced charges against Adesina. Prosecutors say
Adeshina has left the area, and urge anyone with information about his
whereabouts to contact the Internal Revenue Service's criminal
investigation division.
Prosecutors say Adeshina participated in a stolen
identity tax fraud scheme. IRS investigators allegedly found tax refunds
due to several people deposited in numerous accounts in the name of
Adeshina or businesses he controlled. The criminal complaint claims that nearly $200,000
has flowed into more than 20 accounts controlled by Adeshina since the
start of the year.
Three local banks
helped investigators in the bust after noticing suspicious behavior.
Adeshina could face a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
No comments:
Post a Comment