Nigerian man chop eight years prison sentence for US ova hacking, fraud and identity tiff-tiff

One court for New York, United States, don sentence one Nigerian man identified as Chukwuemeka Victor Amachukwu to eight years in prison sake of hacking, multiple fraud and identity tiff-tiff.

Na di United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York make di informate inside one statement wey dem release on Monday, 19 October.

US District Judge Paul G Gardephe na im sentence di Nigerian citizen wey im alias na Chukwuemeka Victor Eletuo and So Kwan Leung.

"Amachukwu bin previously plead guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud," di statement tok.

Di statement add say di convict believe say im bin dey operate safely offshore wen im bin target im victims.

"Amachukwu bin take part in ogbonge schemes to hack into US businesses, steal and use stolen identity information of victims, and commit fraud. Dis crimes bin impose ogbonge harm on di victims and di public, and so e only dey appropriate say di crimes also come wit ogbonge sentence for di defendant."

Na for 2025 dem send Amachukwu to US from France wia dem gbab am.

According to di Superseding Indictments, public court filings, and court statements, beginning from 2019, di convict and im co-conspirator Kingsley Uchelue Utulu and oda Nigeria-based conspirators bin take part for one scheme to hack into US-based tax preparation businesses.

"Di conspirators bin utilise spearphishing emails to obtain access to dis business electronic systems.

"Once dem get access, di conspirators steal di tax and oda identifying information for at least approximately 800 of di business customers. Di conspirators bin hack into several US based tax businesses, wey dey located for New York, Texas, and oda states," di statement tok.

Di statement also add say Amachukwu and im co-conspirators bin obtain di stolen identity information of thousands of individuals and use di information to file fraudulent tax returns wit di Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.

"Di conspirators bin seek fraudulent refunds of at least approximately $8.4 million, of which dem successfully obtain at least approximately $2.5 million."

In addition to filing fraudulent tax returns, di statement say di conspirators use di stolen identities to file fraudulent claims wit di Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

"Di conspirators bin dey able to obtain at least an additional approximately $819,000 in fraudulent payouts."

Di statement also say Amachukwu run fraud parole wey be say e bin give di US victims investments wey dem say be valuable standby letters of credit.

"For dis 419 waka, Amachukwu lie say e be rich overseas financier to fool im victims.

"But for real life, dis investments no exist and Amachukwu and im co-conspirators bin chop ova $7 million from di fraud money," di statement tok.

Di court sentence 40-year-old Amachukwu to prison and also give am one year of supervised release and order am to pay restitution of $3,647,629.39 and forfeit $10,846,634.39.