Seattle – A Nigerian man, Onomen Uduebor, also known as Onomen Onohi, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme to steal identities and claim tax refunds. The sentencing took place in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller.
Uduebor, aged 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. During the hearing, U.S. District Judge James L. Robart remarked on Uduebor's substantial role in the fraudulent activities, stating, “He freely participated in the fraud and had a substantial role in the scheme. Thirty years old is not a young man and he ought to have known better.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Miller described the defendant's actions as part of a conspiracy that involved deceiving companies across the United States into providing W-2 information on their employees. This included targeting a company based in Tukwila. Miller explained how if a Human Resources employee resisted sharing information via email, conspirators would impersonate company executives to coerce them into compliance.
The indictment detailed how between February 2016 and April 2017, false emails were crafted by conspirators to appear as if they originated from company executives requesting W-2 data from HR departments. These emails were manipulated so that responses would be directed to an address controlled by the fraudsters. Using this data, more than 300 fraudulent tax returns were filed claiming over $1 million in refunds.
Uduebor admitted responsibility for filing 150 of these false returns and managing refunds through bank accounts set up under victims' names. While about $140,000 was paid out by the IRS due to this scheme, Uduebor claims he personally received only $10,000. Restitution of $122,720 is owed to the U.S. Treasury after some funds were recovered.
Assistant United States Attorney Miriam Hinman emphasized the harm caused by this scheme in her request for a three-year sentence: “This scheme harmed individual taxpayers, victim companies, and the IRS…. Taxpayers had trouble filing their real tax returns.”
In court statements today, Uduebor expressed remorse: “I have read the victim impact statements and I know an apology is not enough…. I was desperate to succeed in my music career.”
Uduebor was arrested in September 2023 in the United Kingdom and extradited to the United States by March 2025. He entered his guilty plea shortly thereafter in April 2025 and faces deportation back to Nigeria following his imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Miriam Hinman and assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs during extradition proceedings.
