US seeks to revoke citizenship of Nigerian convicted in tax fraud
Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem faces the loss of his US citizenship after being implicated in a large-scale identity theft and tax fraud scheme. The US Department of Justice alleges that Kazeem fraudulently obtained his citizenship through deceit and criminal activity. Authorities say he orchestrated a scheme that targeted hundreds of thousands of victims and resulted in millions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds. The case involves multiple investigations and significant financial transactions linked to the fraud.
What happened
- The US Department of Justice filed a civil complaint to revoke Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem’s American citizenship, alleging it was obtained through fraud.
- Kazeem was convicted in 2017 on 19 counts related to mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
- He served only six years before then-President Joe Biden commuted his sentence in December 2024, alongside nearly 1,500 others.
- The fraud scheme was uncovered in May 2013 when a victim reported false tax returns filed with her and her husband's information.
- Kazeem was sentenced on 20 June 2018 and ordered to pay over $12 million in restitution following a joint investigation by several US agencies.
