ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Jamaica, New York pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
Adetunji Gbadegeshi, 59, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge David S. Cercone.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Gbadegeshi used the hundreds of stolen identities found in his house to open bank accounts that were used as repositories for fraudulently obtained federal tax refunds. The money would then be removed from the accounts and distributed to the co-conspirators.
Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for March 3, 2017. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of loss to the victims, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Gbadegeshi.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
