Two Nigerian citizens and a Texas resident have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a multi-million dollar tax refund fraud scheme that involved the misuse of stolen identities and the laundering of illicit gains through both U.S. and international financial institutions.
Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. announced the sentences for Imafedia Adevokhai, 47, of Alpharetta, Georgia; Osazuwa Peter Okunoghae, 46, of Houston, Texas; and Michael Martin, 52, of Texarkana, Texas, following their guilty pleas related to the conspiracy. Adevokhai, a Nigerian national, admitted to money laundering on February 15, 2023, and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on April 2, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III.
He was also ordered to pay restitution of $90,380.60 and a forfeiture of $3,500.Okunoghae, another Nigerian national based in Houston, received the most severe sentence among the trio—78 months in federal prison—after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy in November 2019. Martin, the only American in the group, admitted to conspiracy on February 14, 2023, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison on November 21, 2023.
He was also ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and $121,623.41 in forfeiture.Court documents reveal that the three men participated in a complex Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) scheme over several years.
They used personal identifying information from numerous victims to file fraudulent tax returns amounting to nearly $5 million, resulting in confirmed losses exceeding $390,000 for the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The Eastern District of Texas is dedicated to prosecuting individuals who engage in schemes to steal personal information, prepare and file fraudulent tax returns, and launder the proceeds,” stated McGlothin.
Investigators from the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) unit uncovered the fraud by tracking a complicated web of financial transactions across multiple U.S. and foreign bank accounts.Special Agent Christopher J. Altemus Jr., who oversees the IRS-CI Dallas Field Office, emphasized the significance of the investigators’ work, warning, “Their sentences should serve as a deterrent to anyone attempting to defraud the U.S. Government or exploit law-abiding taxpayers.
The investigation indicated that Adevokhai was primarily responsible for preparing and submitting the fraudulent tax returns, while Okunoghae and Martin concentrated on laundering the illicit proceeds by transferring funds through various accounts to conceal their origin.
This case stems from a broader indictment issued in 2019 that implicated individuals from three U.S. states, as well as others in Nigeria, highlighting a transnational fraud network.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld and Sean Taylor.Federal authorities have reiterated that tackling SIRF crimes is a top priority, as such schemes undermine the integrity of the U.S. tax system and deplete billions from public resources.
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