Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, announced that Kingsley Uchelue Utulu has been sentenced to 63 months in prison. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe following Utulu's guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
"Kingsley Uchelue Utulu took part in a scheme to hack into U.S. tax preparation businesses, trade in the stolen personal identifying information, and defraud the IRS and other governmental bodies," stated U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. He emphasized that offshore scammers targeting Americans will face prosecution.
FBI Assistant Director Christopher G. Raia noted: "Kingsley Utulu, a Nigerian national, was part of a scheme that targeted and infiltrated electronic systems of U.S.-based companies to steal more than two million dollars through fraudulent tax returns." He added that the FBI remains committed to pursuing individuals involved in deceitful practices globally.
The indictment details how from at least 2019, Utulu and other conspirators based in Nigeria hacked into U.S.-based tax preparation businesses using spearphishing emails. They accessed these businesses' electronic systems and stole customers' tax and identifying information from locations including New York and Texas.
Using this stolen data, they filed fraudulent tax returns with the IRS and state authorities seeking refunds totaling approximately $8.4 million; they successfully obtained about $2.5 million. Additionally, they used stolen identities to file false claims with the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, securing around $819,000.
Utulu was arrested in the United Kingdom for his involvement before being extradited to the United States for prosecution.
In addition to his prison sentence, Utulu has been ordered to pay restitution amounting to $3,683,029.39 and forfeiture of $290,250.
The FBI conducted an extensive investigation praised by Mr. Clayton as outstanding work by their team.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Nessim is leading the prosecution under the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.
